SF 995 

D6 
Copy 1 



Pigeon Diseases 

and 

Feeding Management 

By E. J. W. DIETZ 



Fousrs 

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The^Original Health Grit for Pigeons 
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PIGEON DISEASES 



WITH A CHAPTER 
ON FEEDING 



WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY 

E. J. W. DIETZ 

Editor, Pigeons & Pigeon Flying 



CHICAGO 

E. J. W. DIETZ, PUBLISHER 

1919 



AS) 



1? ^\lo 



Copyright, 1919, 
By E. J. W. DIETZ 



All rights reserved. 



C1A558475 



DEI 



CONTENTS 

Chapter Page 

Introductory 4 

Chapter I. Physiology, or the Organs Named 9 

Chapter II. Hygenic Requirements 22 

Chapter III. Feeds and Feeding 24 

Chapter IV. Diseases and Treatment 36 

(Respiratory System). 

Chapter V. Diseases of the Digestive System 42 

Chapter VI. Diseases of the Nervour System 48 

Chapter VII. Constitutional Diseases 50 

Chapter VIII. Parasites 56 

Chapter IX. Miscellaneous .62 

Chapter X. Surgery , 68 

Chapter XI. Special Information 73 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

A Healthy Pair of Pouters at Play Frontispiece 

Chart Naming External Parts 8 

Chart Showing Location of Internal Parts 11 

Diagram Showing Relation of Digestive Organs 15 

A Healthy Tumbler Pigeon — — 21 

A Maltese Hen Pigeon's Showing Characteristic Pose.... 36 

A Fantail Pigeon in Health 41 

A Pigeon in Spasm — •• — 49 

A Pigeon with Cancer 51 

Pigeons Affected with Pigeon-Pox 52' 

Tie for Broken Wing 53- 

Lice that Infest Pigeons — — •..••..57 

A Pair of Turbits Showing Relative Size 72-' 



PREFACE. 

This treatise on pigeon diseases and feeding manage- 
ment is published in response to many inquiries which 
have reached the office of Pigeons & Pigeon Flying 
for information upon the various phases of this 
subject. 

In the routine of answering these inquiries, it has 
been found that no one book heretofore has covered 
this subject, and much time has been consumed in 
searching through various pamphlets and, in some 
cases making inquiries among veterinarians and 
physicians seeking for remedies and treatments for 
specific diseases. 

From this experience the author has been persuaded 
to compile this information and place it before, the 
pigeon public in the present form in the hope that it 
will promote the cause of pigeon keeping by lessen- 
ing the losses, as well as relieving many of our pets 
from unnecessary suffering. 

On account of the multitude of sources from which 
this material has been gathered, it has been impos- 
sible to give full credit to the source of the informa- 
tion in every instance. In fact some of the physicians 
,did not want to be quoted. But in cases where the 
information was obtained from other works, full credit 
has been given. Many of the remedies and treat- 
ments are original and all of such have been tested 
and tried in actual "fussing" with sick animals in the 
author's possession. 

This little work is offered to the pigeon fraternity 
in the hope that it will be a real benfit and, if any 
-reader finds it lacking, it is desired that he report his 
experience to the author, to the end that supplements 
may be added containing information covering every 
possible phase of this subject. 

E. J. W. DIETZ. 
Chicago, Ills., 

May 1, 1919. 



INTRODUCTORY. 

The Naturalist divides all living forms into Phyla, 
beginning with the Protozoa and going on up in the 
order of their complexibility until they reach the Ver- 
tebrata, which includes the classes: Mammals, Fishes, 
and Aves or Birds. 

The Aves include all animals which have a body 
-covering of feathers and thus include pigeons. The 
Aves are divided into Families according to the vari- 
ous chief characteristics, and the Pigeon belongs to the 
Dove family, which differs from all other birds in two 
respects: (1) They are the only birds that have a 
milk secreted in their crops at hatching time and 
which milk becomes the first food of their offspring; 
and (2) They are the only birds that hold their bills 
in the water when they drink. The duck, the goose, 
the swan and numerous shore birds will often put 
their heads into the water, but that is not to drink, 
but rather to search for food, when such water-fowl 
drink they simply put their bills in the water and then 
raise them in the air to swallow. 

The study of Aves or Birds is called Ornithology 
and Ave are indebted to this science for much valuable 
information about wild bird life. The Ormthalogist's 
investigations of the Rock Dove, the wild bird from 
which all tame pigeons is supposed to have been 
domesticated, is really the foundation of our rules for 
care and management of pigeons. 

Mr. Chas. Darwin, the famous Naturalist, devoted 
considerable attention to pigeons and, it is said, had 
at different times in his possession every known kind. 
He claimed that all tame pigeons belonged to a com- 
mon ancestor, and that this was proven by the fact 
that all pigeons interbred, and all fancy pigeons when 
mixed up in breeding, will revert very quickly to the 
color and type of the Rock Doye (Columba livia), 



6 PIGEON DISEASES 

According to the "History of British Birds/' the 
Rock Dove inhabits the islands to the north of Scot- 
land and the birds make their nests in the recesses of 
the rocky crags along the sea shore. Boys in the 
neighborhood have taken young from the nest and 
partially domesticated them. These birds are similar 
in feather coloring to the Blue-barred Homer, and 
in size, shape and actions, to our Common pigeon. 

Pigeons, when allowed unlimited freedom, seldom 
are troubled with disease or ailments ; but, when un- 
der domestication, they are confined to limited quar- 
ters — houses or aviaries — they are likely to have cer- 
tain troubles overtake them, unless plans are made 
and methods adopted which will provide the proper 
management. 

As sick pigeons cannot thrive or reproduce, the se- 
cret of success in pigeon keeping is to know how to 
guard against disease ; and, as some diseases are easily 
cured, it is important that pigeon keepers study how 
to determine such troubles and how to prevent them. 
Especially is this true with fancy stock, most of which 
is somewhat in-bred through the process of line-breed- 
ing. At least such varieties seem more susceptible 
than the more numerous breeds which are not so close- 
ly in-bred, and as some of these specimens are valu- 
able as breeders, it is very important that they have 
the best of care and be kept in the best of health. 

This knowledge is easily acquired, but it will be 
necessary to observe many details in order to obtain, 
the best success. 

It is recommended that time be taken to read this 
book through carefully in order that a general view 
of the whole subject be obtained ; and then you can 
study the separate items with a better understanding. 

In order to know when a pigeon is sick, they must 
be studied when in perfect health. It is somewhat 
difficult to describe a healthy pigeon. But it may be 
said, however, that a pigeon in health has a bright 
eye, is sprightly in action and its plumage is close- 



INTRODUCTORY 7 

fitting and will glisten in the sunlight, especially the 
neck feathers. The brightness of the red of its feet 
is also a good sign although a pigeon's foot will al- 
ways seem brighter after it has been in the water. 
The feet also aid in determining the health of a pigeon 
by feeling them — they should not feel hot to the hu- 
man hand. 

Undoubtedly the best way to learn how to tell when 
a pigeon is in the best of health, is to visit some old- 
time breeder and have him point out some of the signs 
of health. If this is impossible you can find out some 
of the best signs by watching your birds upon a spring 
day in April or May, when they are mating and coo- 
ing around each other. Birds which conduct them- 
selves actively during the mating and breeding season, 
may be said to be in good health. 

The Plan of the Book. 

The plan of this book is to first give the common 
names of the various parts and organs of a pigeon 
and then explain their functions ; after which the 
diseases will be treated in the order of the functions 
of the organs of the bird. 

To many fanciers, the treatment of diseases is an 
interesting study and great satisfaction is derived in 
witnessing the recovery of some useful bird, hence 
we hope all who keep pigeons will be interested in 
this work. 



PIGEON DISEASES 




Upper Figure: 1, Upper Mandible; 2, Tongue: 3, Trachea; 4, 
Brain; 5, Spinal Chord, 

Large Figure: 1, Upper Mandible; 2, Nostril; 3, Fore-head; 4, Eye- 
Cere; 5. Hind-head (occiput); 6, Iris; 7, Upper Back (dorsum); 

8, Lower Back; 9, Rump; 10, Wing-tips; 11, Vent; 12, Abdomen; 

13, Thigh; 14, Tarsus; 15, Rear of Breast Bone; 16, Breast; 17, 
Crop; 18, Gullet; 19, Lower Mandible; 20, Ear: 21, Flights or 

Primaries; 22, Secondaries; 23, Greater Wing Coverts, 24, Lesser 

Wing Coverts; 25, Shoulder; 26, Toes. 



CHAPTER I. 
Pigeon Physiology, or the Organs Named. 

Assuming that the reader has learned how a healthy 
pigeon looks and acts, the next step is to seek 
to learn something about their anatomy and for this 
purpose it would be well if he could prepare a healthy 
specimen for the table. In removing the organs try 
to take them out without tearing, and spread them out 
upon a table so you can see how each looks in a healthy 
bird. The chart (Fig. 1) gives the names of the va- 
rious organs. 

See if you can locate and name each organ and try 
to remember its color, size and shape. This will be 
useful in seeking to make a post-mortem examination 
to determine the cause of some fatal disease. How- 
■ ever, in making a post-mortem, the bird should not 
be drawn as when prepared for cooking, but should 
be cut with a pair of scissors through the small ribs 
•on each side, and the entire breast removed from the 
back, leaving the intestines in their proper place. They 
should then be examined for enlargement or discolor- 
ation. If nothing out of the ordinary is found, you 
should next proceed to cut off the head and examine 
the mouth and throat. If there is no foreign looking 
substance or bad smelling condition there, you should 
then proceed to cut open the entire digestive canal, 
beginning at the throat. 

This should be done carefully and as you pass from 
one organ to another, note if there is any stoppage or 
appearance of internal laceration. A hand magnify- 
ing glass will be useful here to reveal conditions in- 
visible to the naked eye. By thus proceeding through 



10 PIGEON DISEASES 

the whole digestive tract you should locate the trouble ; 
but, if not, then it must have likely been in the lungs 
or reproductive organs, as will appear by a later ex- 
planation. 

Your first attempt at this work may be a complete 
failure, but such is the method of the veterinarian 
and the pigeon breeder can learn how, too, if he tries. 

It will not be necessary to study the osteology or 
bones of a pigeon for their names will not help us in 
caring for the birds. But it will be necessary to study 
all the symptoms of disease before you can properly 
tell just what is the matter with our bird. In fact, as a 
pigeon cannot talk, it is easier to say what is the trou- 
ble if you know how the bird has been fed and cared 
for, than it is to try and guess the trouble from physi- 
cal appearances. 

As a general rule in both young and old birds the 
most common disease is some form of throat trouble 
Therefore if the bird fails to eat, open the bill and 
see if there is any yellow, cheesy matter or spots in 
the throat. If so, this is canker which will be de- 
scribed later. 

Examine the bird also to see if the feathers under 
the eye are moist or whether there is moisture run- 
ning from the nostril : this is the sign of a cold or 
catarrah. 

The pigeon droppings should be watched as they 
are really the best sign of health or sickness. Green, 
watery fetid droppings show that something is 
wrong and the feed should be examined to see if it is 
free from mustiness or mould ; the surroundings and 
drinking water should be studied to see if they are 
sweet and pure, and the interior of the house and the 
birds themselves should be examined to see if they 
are free from lice. 

Strive to study and learn the normal, thrifty, 
healthy state of your birds and then you will know 
when they are sick. 



THE ORGANS NAMED 



11 




Explanation: A, Crop; B, Heart; C, Liver; D, Gizzard; E, Small 
Intestines; F, Doudenum; G, Pancreas. 



12 PIGEON DISEASES 

The Respiration System. 

(From Government Report.) 

The respiratory organs of birds differ considerably 
from those of our four-footed animals. The plan of 
structure of these organs follows more closely the 
analogous organs of reptiles than it does those of 
mammals. This should not excite surprise as it is 
now admitted that birds are descended from some ani- 
mal of the repitilian group.- The lungs are confined, 
as they are in the tortoise to the back part of the 
body cavity, and are firmly attached to the ribs and 
the spaces between these bones. Large membranous 
sacs, communicating with the lungs, and serving as 
reservoirs of air, extend to the posterior portion of 
the abdomen and eyen into the bones. The lungs are 
not suspended freely and divided into lobes as we see 
them in other farm animals, but they are attached to 
the back part of the chest and are accurately molded 
to the inequalities of the ribs and the spaces between 
the ribs. 

Notwithstanding these resemblances to the slug- 
gish cold-blooded animals the birds' breathing ap- 
paratus is of the highest order of excellence, and won- 
derfully effective. The lungs are comparatively small 
and have little elasticity, but there is a compensation 
for these features in the free communication with the 
spacious air sacs which contain an abundant supply 
of air. 

The upper opening of the trachea or windpipe is on 
the floor of the mouth just behind the tongue. The 
larynx at the beginning of the windpipe which is such 
a perfect structure in the higher mammals, is in birds 
only slightly developed. The edges of the larynx 
appear to close together so perfectly that no epiglottis 
or lid is necessary. There are no vocal cords in the 
larynx as in mammals, and therefore this organ can- 
not produce voice, and it only raises or lowers a note 
by bringing together or separating the stiff margins 



THE ORGANS NAMED 13 

of the opening. The true organ of voice in birds is 
the lower larynx or syrinx, which is found in no other 
class of animals and is situated where the trachea di- 
vides to form bronchi. 

The two primary bronchi, formed by the division 
of the trachea, penetrates the lungs, branching as they 
go and end in the air sacs which have already been 
mentioned. The primary branches of the bronchial 
tubes give off secondary branches, and these secondary 
branches in turn send off tertiary branches. These 
finer branches open upon a dense network of minute, 
almost naked, blood vessels, through the delicate 
walls of which the oxygen passes to the blood and 
the carbonic acid and other vapors escape. 

There are in all nine air sacs, four on each side, and 
one (the interclavicular) which has been formed by 
the union of another pair. These are named the cer- 
vical, the interclavicular, the anterior thoracic, the 
posterior thoracic, and the abdominal sacs. With 
many birds the air sacs extend into the humerus or 
large bone of the wing, with some, into the breast- 
bone, the thigh bone, and even other bones of the 
body. The air sacs act principally as reservoirs of 
air, feeding the lungs between the periods of inspira- 
tion and ensuring an abundant air supply at all times. 
There is possibly some oxygenation of the blood 
through their walls, and they serve in addition to re- 
duce the weight of the body when in flight. 

Nearly all the moisture which escapes from the 
bird's body passes off through the respiratory organs. 
With mammals, a large proportion of the liquid taken 
into the body is evaporated from the surface of the 
skin, and this process serves as an efficient regulation 
of the body temperature. A considerable amount of 
liquid is also excreted by the kidneys of such animals. 
In birds the secretion of the kidneys contains but a 
small quantity of water, and the skin has no sweat 
glands, so that but an insignificant amount of mois- 



14 PIGEON DISEASES 

ture is evaporated from the external surface of the 
body. The lungs and air sacs of birds must, there- 
fore, perform not only the duties which devolve upon 
the respiratory organs of mammals, but also largely 
those of the kidneys and skin as well. 

On the whole, the respiratory apparatus is very 
perfect and more active than that of any mammal. 
The quantity of carbonic acid exhaled is very large, 
the breathing is rapid, and the oxidation of the blood 
is necessarily thorough to maintain the high tempera- 
ture of the bird's body. With all of this, birds are 
capable of great and prolonged muscular exertion ? 
the "wind" of the Homing Pigeon, for instance, being 
something remarkable. 

The intimate connection which exists between bron- 
chi and air sacs readily permits of the extension of a 
disease process from one to the other, and parasites 
or parasitic disease may be common to both. In- 
jured birds may even breathe through a broken hu- 
merus which has pierced the skin, when their wind- 
pipe are obstructed with blood and impemeble to air. 
In this case the air is drawn into the lungs through 
the interclavicular air sacs instead of penetrating ap- 
paratus of birds of the trachea and bronchi. The 
respiratory apparatus of birds differs, therefore, to a 
remarkable extent from that of other animals, in 
structure, in function, and in the development and 
extension of the disease to which it is subject. 

j, y. i The Digestive System. 

The digestive system of the pigeon differs consid- 
erable from that of man, or mammals which have 
teeth to masticate the food. Instead of teeth they 
have a crop into which the grain and vegetable food 
passes in the exact condition in which they find it, 
and where it is moistened with the water which the 
pigeon drinks. This crop also acts as a storage place 
for food, so that a pigeon with a full crop of hard 



THE ORGANS NAMED 



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16 PIGEON DISEASES 

grain can go for a long period without feeding and 
apparently no particular harm will come from it. 
This crop is really an extended oseophagus or gullet, 
and has special glands that, at hatching time, secrete 
a milk like fluid, with which the pigeons feed their 
young. 

After the grain has become thoroughly moistened 
and softened, it passes slowly into the real stomach 
where it is first acted upon by the gastric juices, or 
digestive fluid secreted from the many tiny glands 
covering the lining of that organ. This stomach is 
relatively small in the pigeon and the food quickly 
passes to the gizzard, the organ with thick walls and 
in which the grains are completely macerated by be- 
ing squeezed between the small pieces of sand and 
grit the pigeon has picked up and which this 
organ always seems to have within it whenever 
opened. As pigeons are large consumers of grit it 
must be that they dissolve it within the gizzard and, 
no doubt the solutions from this grit are used in the 
aiding of feather growth. 

"The ferment secreted by the stomach," says Dr. 
Barker, "acts almost exclusively upon the nitrogenous 
or proteid constituents of the food which, insolu- 
able in their original condition, are reduced thereby 
to soluable substances known as peptones, capable of 
being absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract into 
the blood vessels, and so on into the general system. 

"From the outlet of the gizzard the food passes 
into the first portion of the bowel, known, on account 
of the narrowness of its lumen, as the small intestine. 
Here it comes, almost simultaneously, under the in- 
fluence of three distinct digestive juices, namely, the 
bile from the liver, the pancreatic juice from a gland 
known as the pancreas, and the intestinal juice 
poured out by a multitude of microscopic glands 
contained in the bowel itself. The action of the 
bile is a manifold one, and is somewhat as follows: 
Firstly, it promotes the digestion of fatty matters 



THE ORGANS NAMED 17 

by splitting them up into an emulsion consisting of 
tiny globules in suspension, which are capable of 
passing through the walls of the intestine and in this 
was being absorbed into the system. Secondly, the 
bile is said to assist in the separation of the nutri- 
tious from the non-nutritious portions of the food. 
Again it has a stimulating action upon the muscular 
coats of the small intestine, preventing constipation ; 
and, lastly, it has an antiseptic action which assists in 
the prevention of putrefaction changes in the intes- 
tinal contents. 

"This complex action of the bile really explains 
some of the ill effects which follow upon a faulty 
condition of the liver, and when one considers that 
the secretion of this fluid is only one amongst a num- 
ber of duties performed by that organ, its importance 
in the animal economy is additionally emphasized. 

"The pancreatic juice, which, as before mentioned, 
the food also meets with on its arrival in the small 
intestine, has at least a three-fold action, for it as- 
sists in the emulsification and absorption of fat, it 
converts starchy matter (insoluable as such) into 
soluable sugar capable of absorption in the blood, 
and it continues the action of the pastrK ;uice upon 
the proteid constituents of the food, converting them 
into solua ble peptones, and again probably into yet 
simpler bodies. 

"It is interesting to note that in pigeons, it is here 
for the first time that the food meets with a digestive 
fluid designed to act upon its starchy constituents. 

"In the case of the human being, the saliva, poured 
out by glands in the mouth, and mingled with the 
food during the process of mastication or chewing, 
possesses the property of converting insoluable 
starch into soluble sugar fitted for passage into the 
blood, and this action of the saliva upon the starch 
portion of the food is continued for a time after the 
food has reached the stomach until such time, in fact, 
as the food contents of the stomach, alkaline in the 



18 PIGEON DISEASES 

first instance, become acid in reaction from admix- 
ture with gastric juice poured out by that organ. . 

"In this connection it is perhaps worthy to men- 
tion that with the single exception of the gastric juice, 
all food ferments or digestants are alkaline in react- 
ion, and require an alkaline medium for the per- 
formance of their duties. -* * * 

"The contents of the stomach (of the pigeon) when 
they in turn leave the organ of the small intestine 
(as mentioned before) are then acid in reaction, and 
not until the alkaline juices from the liver, the pan- 
creas, and the intestinal glands, have neutralized the 
acid reaction of the semi-digested materials received 
from the stomach, can they commence their solvent 
duties upon those portions of the food that remain to 
be digested. It follows, therefore, that inability to 
digest the nitrogenous constituents of the food in the 
stomach may be due on the one hand to deficiency of 
the actual ferment pepsin, or it may on the other 
hand be due to deficiency of free hydrochloric acid, 
notwithstanding the presence in normal quantity of 
digestive ferment from the peptic glands. 

"Again, over acidity of the stomach contents may 
cut short at too early a period the digestion of starch 
by the salivary secretion, leading to one form of what 
is known as amylaceous or starch dyspepsia, and 
those over acid contents of the stomach, passing on 
into the intestine, may delay or suspend digestion in 
that portion of the bowel by overfacing (covering 
over) the alkaline ferments met with therein, not- 
withstanding the fact that these ferments may be 
adequate in amount and perfectly efficient from ac- 
tion under normal conditions." 

It will be noticed that action of these digestive 
juices are very complex and they have been here ex- 
plained somewhat fully to show the importance ' of 
care in pigeon management and there is but to add 
that from this latter large intestine the fecaes, or in- 



THE ORGANS NAMED 19 

digested portion of the food, is voided from the body 
of the bird. 

Other Systems. 

In addition to the breathing system and a digestive 
system, pigeons have a urinary system which re- 
moves the soluable waste from the body, and void it 
as a white substance with the excreta. The organs 
of this division are the kidneys, which are elongated 
in form and situated immediately below the lungs, 
and extending along the sides of the spine as far as 
the termination of the rectum. There is no bladder 
and the cloaca forms a common receptacle for both 
the urine and faeces. 

The Reproductive System. 

The reproductive system consists of an ovary in 
the female and testicle in the male. The ovary in 
the pigeon is located under the center of the back- 
bone and consists of minute globular ovum which, 
when they attain the proper maturity break the sack 
in which they are contained and pass into the oviduct, 
which latter is divided into three almost equal sec- 
tions. 

In the first section the ova is surrounded with 
what is commonly known as the "white" of the egg ; 
the second section surrounds this with a fibrous film 
which acts as a protection, and the third section 
secretes the material which makes the hard outer 
shell. 

As the "white" is being secreted there is also 
formed a thin fibrous covering, around the ova which 
acts as a balancing cord for the egg and it keeps the 
germ uppermost regardless of the position of the egg. 
This is called the chalazee. 

The Circulatory System. 
Of course, as the pigeon has blood there must be 



20 PIGEON DISEASES 

some method to provide for its circulation and here 
we find a similar system to the human. There is a 
heart with arteries and veins. 

The Nervous System. 

Pigeons also have a nervous system which has its 
seat in the brain as in the human family, but this 
organ is not nearly as complex and as well developed, 
although it will be seen later, it is subject to similar 
diseases. 

General Remarks About Diseases. 

Generally speaking pigeon keepers know that it 
does not pay to keep a sick pigeon, as it is likely to 
contaminate the flock. But most fanciers dislike to 
see their pets suffer and it is but natural that some 
attempt be made to relieve the trouble, hence all 
keepers are looking for some information upon the 
subject of Pigeon Diseases and their treatment. 

In treating sick pigeons there are three things to 
do: 

1. Find the cause. 

2. Administer a remedy. 

3. Then give stimulating food to revive the bird. 
It might also be said that there are four general 

causes for all pigeon troubles : 

1. The taking into the system some foreign sub- 
stance or bacterial growth. 

2. The failure of some organ of the bird to per- 
form its proper function through constitutional weak- 
ness. 

3. External parasites, 

4. Accidents, 



THE ORGANS NAMED 



21 



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A Tumbler Pigeon, Showing How a Bird Looks When in Good 
Health. 



CHAPTER II. 

Hygenic Requirements. 

As it has been pointed out that pigeons enjoying 
full liberty seldom are sick, it naturally follows that 
most of the diseases of birds under confined condi- 
tions must be due to their surroundings, therefore, 
we will first endeavor to explain some of the Hygenic 
rules the breaking of any one of which will undoubt- 
edly result in pigeon troubles. In fact it is almost 
safe to say, if all hygenic rules were constantly ob- 
served there would be few pigeon troubles. The 
word Hygene is derived from the Greek work Hygeia 
which was the name of the goddess of health, hence 
hygene meaiis the rules governing health. 

Cleanliness the First Rule. 

It is almost self-evident to ail that no animal can 
thrive in its own filth. In visiting pigeon plants we 
have often found places that were obnoxious to hu- 
man nostrils, but in which pigeons seemed to thrive. 
This might be for a short while, but should dampness 
enter such an obnoxious place, it is safe to predict 
that there would be many pigeons die. While dry 
pigeon manure does not give -much odor and may not 
cause much trouble, yet your chances for success are 
far better if there is a thorough cleaning up and all 
filth removed so that the pigeon loft is unoffensive 
to the most fastidious person. 

Exhalations Breed Disease. 

It must be remembered that the exhalation of a 
pigeon is much more voluminous in proportion to the 
size of the bird, than in the human and in all such 
exhalation there is some solid matter which settles 
upon the walls of the buildings. In fact on the wall of 



HYGIENIC REQUIREMENTS 23 

most houses there is to be found a fine whittish dust 
which comes off upon being rubbed with the hand. 
In time this forms a mould and breeds a bacteria which 
upon being inhaled again by the pigeons or swallowed 
through the medium of the drinking water is liable 
to cause the cholera which is the most dreaded of 
pigeon diseases. 

General Suggestions. 

The best general suggestion is to see that your 
pigeon house is kept clean and free from offensive 
odors. It should be white-washed at least twice a 
year and such white-wash should be well made from 
fresh unslaked lime and to which it is well to add 
some soluable carbolic acid or cresol disinfectant suf- 
ficient to make a 2% solution. If your pen has an 
earth floor, the upper two inches of such earth should 
be removed every month or two and fresh earth 
should be added. Over this you should sprinkle 
some air-slaked lime, enough to make the ground look 
white. 

Specific Directions. 

Specific directions for specific cases will be given 
under the specific diseases where they apply. 



CHAPTER III. 
Feeds and Feeding. 

As proper feeds and proper feeding management 
has much to do with the health of pigeons, and as 
improper feeding and management will certainly 
cause sickness, it is fitting to take space here to say 
something about this subject. 

When it is remembered that there are numerous 
kinds of pigeons and that the various kinds are kept 
under varying conditions of freedom, e work and cli- 
matic conditions, it is obvious that no description of 
this subject can cover every detail that will confront a 
pigeon keeper during several years' experience. All 
that it is hoped to do is to give a general idea of the 
subject and a few rules that will guide the reader to 
the way of better results, which must really be ac- 
quired by observation, study and experiment. 

Up to the present time there has been no full ex- 
planation of the subject of pigeon feeding and among 
the various pigeon men with whom we have talked, a 
great variety of opinions have been found, all of 
which, however, lie between these two extremes. On 
the one hand there is the man who is a successful 
exhibitor of Magpies, who buys two brands of mixed 
poultry feeds as put out by two of the largest milling 
concerns which he mixes together and obtains good 
results ; and on the other hand we have the informa- 
tion given in the February number of Pigeons and 
Pigeon Flying from an English Runt breeder, which 
is as follows : 

"As to feeding Runts, the best way to keep Runts 
big, heavy, strong, and healthy, is to have old maple 
peas before them at all times, also fresh drinking 
water and grit. Give them some wheat, whole small 



FEEDS AN DFEEDING 25 

maize or rice — the last two sparingly. I never give 
my birds any but the above grain. I give them in 
their ^rinking water a pinch of citrate of iron and 
quinine crystals about twice a week — enough to give 
the water a light amber color. I also give them two 
tablespoonsful of extract of quassia in their bath once 
a week. I sprinkle same turps in their nest boxes 
when they first go to nest, and I also sprinkle a little 
around their nests once a week. I often give them 
a piece of banana to pick at, especially if any are ail- 
ing." 

As both of these men are highly successful, it is 
difficult to say which is best. However, there are 
some rules and some knowledge concerning this sub- 
ject which, if the reader will take time to study it, 
will help in selecting new feeds should those which 
you have been using suddenly take a sharp up-turn 
in price, or should you suddenly be unable to get 
them. 

The history of pigeons tells us that the wild rock 
dove, from which our domesticated pigeon has been 
produced, made its home on the rocks of the salty sea 
and was seldom seen far inland ; although it is said, 
that they were accustomed to fly sometimes as far as 
200 miles to obtain food, as was evidenced by certain 
seeds found in the crops of birds that had been killed. 
From this "seaside home" it will be seen why pig-eons 
are such great lovers of salt and all who have kept 
them know that they live almost exclusively upon a 
seed diet. While the writer has seen domesticated 
pigeons pick and peck at the bare ground, he has 
never seen one pick up a worm or grub, the same as 
chickens do and their digestive organs indicate that 
they are almost exclusively a seed-eating bird. Al- 
though they will eat grass, water cress, or lettuce 
leaves. Since the foregoing was written, a squab 
breeder tells us that his Homers will pick up and 
eat fish-worms. 



26 PIGEON DISEASES 

The Composition of the Body. 

As we have seen, the composition of a pigeon's 
body is a complex group of organisms, and, it is clear, 
that these include numerous chemical substances. 
In fact there are twelve chemical compounds found 
in a pigeon's body, but about 95% of the whole is 
composed of four : nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and 
oxygen. 

Of course, it is assumed, you understand that in 
the process of living the animal consumes food simi- 
larly as a boiler requires coal to make steam. 

In analyzing food substances the chemist is able 
to separate them into the following divisions : 

1. Proteids — Or flesh forming elements. 

2. Fats—Or heat forming elements. 

3. Carbohydrates — Or the starches and sugars 
which are assimulated in the process of digestion as 
explained in a previous chapter. 

4. Crude fibre — Or undigestible matter, but which 
really is necessary, and aids in distending the organs 
so they can perform their functions properly. 

5. Water — Which helps to moisten the food and 
make it digestible, as has been explained. 

6. Ash — Or the elements found in the bones and 
horny part of pigeons. 

The fats, starches and sugars are really all carbo- 
hydrates as they are a combination of carbon, hydro- 
gen and oxygen in differing proportions, and in ani- 
mal feeding it is customary to multiply the fat per- 
centage by 2.G and add it to the carbohydrates and 
then compare the total with the protein. The percent- 
age of this relation gives us what is called a nutrative 
or "balanced" ration. For pigeons this has not been 
definitely determined, but from the examination of 
several successful feeding compounds it varies from 
1 :3 in the breeding season to 1 :5j4 in the winter 
months. 

The following table of the usual pigeon food cereals 



FEEDS AND FEEDING 27 

used in America is from the Department of Agricul- 
ture Bulletin and while these cereals- will vary from 
season to season, and locality to locality, these per- 
centages may be taken as the basis for figuring our 
pigeon's needs. 



c a a 

Feed og 

«-> m 

o u ^ :- 
u o> d 0) 

Canadian Peas 22.4 3 

Soy Beans 36.3 16 

Peanuts, Spanish 27.9 39.6 

Corn 10.3 5.0 

Wheat 11.8 2.1 

Egyptian Wheat or 

Shallou 1 1 .25 3.78 

Barley 12.4 1.8 

Rye 10.6 1.7 

Milo Maize 10.21 2.95 

Kafir Corn 10.84 3 

Feterita 12.95 2 &9 

German Millet 12.7 3.3 

Texas Millet 10.9 3.5 

Buckwheat 10 2-2 

Rice 7.4 .4 

Sunflower Seed 16.3 21.2 

Sorghum Seed 9.1 3.6 

Oats 1 1.8 5 

Horse Bean 26.6 1 

Lentils 29 1.5 

Hemp Seed 21.0 30.6 

Hairy Vetch 25.0 2.0 

Canard Seed 13.8 5.4 

Rape Seed 19.4 38.3 

Flax 22.6 33.7 

It must be remembered also that the amount of 
food required will vary with the season and activ- 
ity of the bird. A Flying Homer which has hard, 
vigorous training and a good fly every day, will con- 
sume more food than a small Owl that never gets 
outside its house. Also a large Runt will consume 
more food than a Tumbler or Owl, and the squab 
breeder which is feeding young will consume more 



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6.4 52.6 


13-4 


2.4 


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3-9 2 7-7 


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5-4 


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7 15-6 


7-5 


2.4 


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2.2 70.4 


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1.8 72. 


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2.47 72 


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1.7 72.5 


11.6 


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2.34 72.24 


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11.22 


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8.1 62.6 


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8.7 64.5 


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9.2 


4-3 


io 



28 PIGEON DISEASES 

than the same pigeon in winter that is not breeding 
or rearing young. In fact, it has been noted that when 
pigeons are feeding young they will eat nearly 50% 
peas when fed a mixture and allowed to choose to suit 
themselves. 

It has been calculated that a pigeon that is daily 
active will consume from 12 per cent to 15 per cent 
protein matter daily. As more heat is required in 
winter to keep the pigeon warm, they can be fed 
more corn, which it will be seen by referring to the 
table, is high in fat percentage. 

By examining the table in the light of these re- 
marks, it will be noticed that the Englishman who 
fed his runts on peas and beans came very near to 
furnishing a balanced ration, and by adding a little 
corn (maize) in the winter months to give additional 
fat units, he was complying fully with the. require- 
ments of these birds. 

While the race horse man will tell you that he 
gets good results with the best grade of oats and 
good timothy hay for his horses, and this would in- 
dicate that such a diet was all that was necessary — 
but by inquiring more closely you will find that this 
is used only during the training season and occasion- 
ally he will give some bran ; and, further, he likes to 
put such animals on good blue grass to recuperate. 
Hence he also gives a change of diet. 

On the other hand, the dairy farmer producing the 
best grade of milk in handling his pure bred cows 
will be found to feed a ration containing: many grains, 
and he will also be found to like a variety of hay and 
other fodder. In fact, one of the best dairyman in this 
country told me that he found his cows always gave a 
slight increase in milk production immediately after 
the introduction of a new ingredient in his mixture 
of feeding stuffs. For this reason he bought as many 
kinds of mill products as possible. 

These two examples might be used to represent 
the racing pigeon man and the squab breeder, and it 



FEEDS AND FEEDING 29 

is suggested that the reader consider these sugges- 
tions from that viewpoint. 

This explains the wonderful development and in- 
crease in the sales of mixed pigeon feeds, and it is 
quite evident that such a variety will enable the birds 
to make some variation by selection from day 
today. Although the feeder must remember that 
pigeons have not much mentality and like children 
will fill themselves up on "candy" if they get a 
chance. From our view-point, corn is candy to the 
pigeon, for under most circumstances it will eat the 
corn before all other cereals. 

Perhaps a few remarks about the various foods 
may help some reader to understand this subject 
better. 

Peas : By these are meant the hard Canadian field 
peas. There is also available green peas and some- 
times there is obtainable a New Zealand "maple" 
pea. The latter is the kind most favored by the Eng- 
lish feeders. It will be noticed that the pea comes 
the nearest to the balanced ration, or relatively 1 :3, 
of any of the cereals. But it will be found that they 
are the least liked by pigeons and will not be eaten 
by them until the corn is all gone from the feed 
hopper. 

There are two reasons for this. One is that pigeons 
are like the child that likes to have butter and mo- 
lasses upon his bread — corn is the same as these 
dainties — and peas being round are difficult for the 
pigeon to pick up from the floor. Thus they require 
more exertion and give the bird more exercise. Be 
cause they have these faults ( ?) they are the best 
to leave before the birds all the time. It has been 
observed also that small pigeons dislike large peas 
and especially irregular shaped ones. 

Corn : This is our cheapest food and is very de- 
sirable for winter feeding. It has been found that 
hard-working animals can consume large quanti- 
ties of it without injury and hard working people 



/ 

30 PIGEON DISEASES 

thrive upon it even in hot climates. Those who use 
it most, favor its being fed whole, although it is 
rather large for some of the smaller varieties. How- 
ever, when it is cracked, it sometimes has a mould 
form on the cracked surfaces, and this mould is very 
injurious to pigeons, causing -many of them to die 
from bowl trouble. Pop co.rn or flint corn is preferable 
to the common yellow maize. 

Wheat: This is our most widely distributed cereal 
and the one most sought after by the human family. 
Pigeons like it and it serves to balance the corn diet. 
In fact we know of some feeders who use it almost 
exclusively during the summer months with good 
results. It is more cooling than peas or corn. 

Barley : This cereal is very similar to wheat and 
almost identical to< oats. It differs from wheat in 
having more ash content and is the same as oats in 
this respect. Now this ash matter is largely phos- 
phate and mineral matter that is especially desirable 
for growing stock, hence barley should be more gen- 
erally used by pigeon men. 

Oats : The same as barley, although it has a 
heavier hull and is less liked by pigeons on that ac- 
count. Some oats are all hull, and as such are not 
much good. 

Peanuts : These are generally the smaller ones 
that are too small for human purposes and they are 
much esteemed by squab breeders. They are very 
fattening. 

Beans : All varieties of beans should be good food 
for pigeons as they are high in protein content. Be- 
cause they are rounding in form and difficult for the 
pigeon to pick up many pigeons will not eat them 
and the average feeder thinks they are no good. But 
the larger varieties of pigeons will eat them and they 
should be in every pigeon's diet. 

Rye: This cereal is not much desired by pigeon 
men, and the main reason undoubtedly is that it de- 
velops a mould also which is very harmful to pigeons. 



FEEDS AND FEEDING 31 

If bright and clean and polished, it could be fed with- 
out any harm. But pigeon men had better avoid it, 
if other cereals are obtainalbe. 

Rice : This cereal is gaining in favor as a human 
food, but it will be noticed from the table that it is 
low in protein and thus lacking in the principle ele- 
ment necessary for pigeons. Rice has this quality, 
however, it is very easily digested and causes prac- 
tically no irritation in the digestive canal. For this 
reason it would be a desirable cereal to feed pigeons 
recovering from "going light'' or similar intestinal 
trouble. For pigeons the "paddy" rice, or rice with 
the hull on would be better than the clean polished 
rice such as is used on the table of the human family. 

Kafir, Feterita and Milo Maize : These are all very 
similar to corn, or maize, and differ only by having 
less fat content. On this account thev are very much 
esteemed by pigeon men and being small make de- 
sirable pigeon feed. 

Canary Seed, Hemp, Rape, Linseed and Sunflower 
Seed : These all carry large percentages of oil and 
are much liked by pigeons for this reason. They are 
also used by pigeon men to put brilliancy upon the 
plumage of show birds. They are also used by fan- 
ciers who wish to show oft" their birds, for they act 
as an extra stimulant and will coax pigeons away 
from almost all other foods. Hemp seed, however, 
should not be used regularly in very large quantities 
as it contains a stimulating element which if fed in 
large quantities will be injurious. 

Squab Feeding. 

Squab breeders whose birds breed throughout the 
vear require a very substantial ration as, it is said, the 
young squab contains nearly 6 oz. of protoplasm, 
which is almost pure protein. 

Inquiry among some successful squab breeders re- 
veals a variety of opinions as to the proper feeding 
mixture, and they have had to vary their mixtures 



32 PIGEON DISEASES 

during the last few years on account of the high price 
of grain. 

One of the successful squab raisers advises that, if 
prices were right and the grains obtainable, he would 
feed a mixture of the following: 

Canadian Field Peas . — 25 lbs. 

Hemp Seed 12% lbs. 

Millet -. 12% lbs. 

Whole Corn (small size) 25 lbs. 

Wheat 15 lbs. 

Buckwheat 12% lbs. 

To this add some small peanuts and sunflower seed. 

By examining some of the commercial feed mixtures 
upon the market, it will be found that the best of 
them for pigeons contain all of these grains, although 
they may not be found in the exact proportion as here 
mentioned. But such combinations can be obtained 
generally at less money than the separate grains can 
be obtained now and the pigeon man by understand- 
ing the requirements of his birds can buy such special 
seeds and grains as his wisdom dictates and add them 
at his pleasure, and vary them with the season's 
changes. 

Pigeon Grit. 

As explained in a previous chapter, pigeons and 
all grain eating birds require small stones or grit to 
grind their food in the gizzard ; and in the develop- 
ment of the art of keeping pigeons, it has been found 
that they require certain mineral substances such as 
lime, iron, salt, etc., for their general health and well- 
being. On this account certain enterprising con- 
cerns have placed upon the market a special grit mix- 
ture particularly designed for pigeons. It is the 
common practice to keep such grit before the birds 
at all times, and it is astonishing the quantity they 
will consume. There is but one caution to be offered 
concerning this. Some of these mixtures seem to 
have a variable amount of salt in them, and all mix- 
tures containing salt will usually have enough for 



FEEDS AND FEEDING 33 

the purpose that no other salt is necessary for the 
birds. But it is good practice in keeping pigeons to 
have a lump of rock salt in a box on the floor where 
the birds can help themselves. 

About the Drinking Water. 

Everyone knows how insipid water soon becomes 
when exposed to the air or sunshine, and for this 
reason alone pigeons should have fresh water more 
than once a day. The ideal system would be some 
kind of running water, as water in motion purifies 
itself. In cities or where an abundant supply is ob- 
tainable, this would be possible, and successful 
pigeon raising will largely depend upon this. On the 
other hand, if you allow the water to become stale, 
or leave it exposed so that the dust of the house 
is allowed to settle upon it, you can look for bowel 
trouble and similar diseases. Some pigeon men 
use regularly the ordinary "roup remedy" compound 
or permanganate of potash in the drinking water. 
Just enough to turn the water pink. No apparent 
harm comes from the practice. But if running water 
is available this doping of the drinking water would 
not be necessary or advisable as we do not believe 
in the continual "doctoring" of the birds. 

The Art of Feeding. 

In the foregoing I have tried to show some of the 
scientific principles underlying the compounding of 
the foods for pigeons, and it will now be in place 
to make a few suggestions upon the art of feeding 
these foods. 

The true guide for the feeder is the general ap- 
pearance of his birds. If they are lively, active and 
productive, you can assume that they are in good 
health. The first sign of disease is usually manifest- 
ed in the excreta, which should be reasonably firm, 
of a dark grayish color and tipped with whitish 
substance, the urea. If they are greenish, brownish, 



34 PIGEON DISEASES 

frothy, loose, or bloody, something" is wrong with 
your feeding or management. 

It is by studying these things and knowing the 
properties of foods that a pigeon man becomes an 
expert in this science and learns the real art of 
pigeon-keeping. 

Hand Feeding Young Pigeons. 

It sometimes happens that one young pigeon in a 
nest will grow much faster and more vigorously than 
the other, and in such cases the weaker bird will not 
obtain sufficient food and dies of starvation. This can 
be overcome and avoided by the simple plan of hand- 
feeding the weaker bird. This is done as follows : If 
it is very young, you can give it some very soft bread 
and milk. By crumbling up the bread into the milk 
and adding just a sprinkle of salt, you can give it to 
the young pigeon by dropping it down its throat with 
a medicine dropper. The dropper filled with this 
liquid should be forced down the pigeon's throat. Old 
fanciers generally take a mouthful of the soft feed 
and then, sticking the bill of the young pigeon be- 
tween the lips, blow some of the food into its mouth. 

As the young birds get older, you can feed them on 
small Canadian field peas. They should be soaked 
in fresh water over night and put into the bird's 
mouth, one at a time. Be sure that the bird has swal- 
lowed" one grain before you try to put the second one 
down its throat. Water can be given with the medi- 
cine dropper. The crop of the young pigeon should 
be slightly distended when fed, but should not be 
crowded full. They will require feeding three or four 
times a day when very young and twice a day when 
older. You can tell by how vigorously they cry for 
feed, whether you are giving them enough or not. If 
the young bird is slightly hungry, it will learn to feed 
more quickly. 

One old-timer, when writing upon this subject in 
Pigeons & Pigeon Flying, said : "Care should be 



FEEDS AND FEEDING 



35 



taken that the birds do not take cramp. 1 have found 
the best preventative is to keep them upon a kind of 
gridiron made of small crossed pieces of wood, so 
placed in a box to allow the air to circulate under the 
birds." 

In feeding" young pigeons, care must be exercised 
to avoid straining them in any way, as a slight twist 
of the beak of the young bird is apt to twist it per- 
manently. 

If something has happened to the parent birds so 
they cannot care for the young, you will have to keep 
the young in a warm place. It is very difficult to in- 
duce a new pair to take and hover young other than 
those which they hatch. Old birds, particularly, seem 
to know their young by sense of smell and, even when 
we have put young under them after dark, they have 
been thrown out of the nest or killed during the night. 




A MALTESE HEN 
Pigeon Showing Characteristic Pose. 



CHAPTER IV. 
Diseases of Pigeons and Treatment. 

In the foregoing chapters I have tried to show the 
characteristics and functions of the organs and parts 
of a pigeon, and indicate that a pigeon in good 
healthy and thrifty condition is a lively and active 
bird. Hence, whenever a pigeon is sick from some 
disarrangement of its digestion due to improper food 
or feeding, or because of some other external cause, 
it will become dumpish or listless in its actions, will 
show loss of appetite, and huddle itself up in a corner. 
It will be our purpose now to try and explain the 
interpretation of diseases that may be the result of 
mismanagement or other external causes. 

The diseases of pigeons are best classified accord- 
ing to the organ or system of organs affected, and thus 
we will consider them. This gives us the following 
classification : 

A. Diseases of the respiratory system, which in- 
cludes colds, catarrah, bronchial troubles, and lung 
diseases. 

B. Diseases of the digestive system, including the 
crop, stomach, intestines, and the liver. 

C. Diseases of the urinary system, or kidney trou- 
bles. 

D. Diseases of reproduction, including infertile 
eggs, sofe shelled or hard shelled eggs, and egg — 
bound. 

E. Diseases of the nervous system, apoplexy or 
vertigo. 

F. Diseases of constitutional weakness, such as 
cancer, and going light. 



DISEASES AND TREATMENT 37 

G. Diseases of external nature, such as lice, and ex- 
ternal parasites. 

Diseases of the Respiratory System. 

As pigeons in their wild state migrate more or less 
as the seasons change, going south to a warmer 
climate in winter, and returning north in summer to 
reproduce; and as they have an extraordinary lung 
capacity, for an animal of their size, as has heen 
shown, it is to be expected that as they undergo do- 
mestication and remain in one place from one season 
to another, that they will be troubled considerably 
with air passage or lung diseases. 

Catarrah. — A pigeon will take a cold just as a baby 
might, with the result that it will have inflammation 
of the mucous mmibrane lining the nose, the parynx 
or larynx. The symptoms are a discharge from 
the nostrils and more or less difficulty of breath- 
ing due to the obstruction of the nostrils, which have 
become filled with matter, and choking" the nostrils 
and throat. Simple catarrah is not accompanied by 
a rising temperature or fever. 

Bronchitis or Roup. — Bronchitis is an inflamma- 
tion of the tubes leading from the lungs to the ex- 
terior. This is a more deep seated trouble than sim- 
ple catarrah. There is a discharge from both the 
nose and the throat, and there is a "rattle" in the 
breathing process, caused by the bronchi being filled 
with foreign secretions which the bird has ben un- 
able to discharge. 

Diphtheria. — Pigeons are also subjected to a "dry" 
bronchial trouble which is commonly called diphtheric 
roup. This is caused similar to bronchitis, but there 
seems to be dryness instead of the foreign discharge 
or secretion. 

Treatment. 

As these troubles have been brought on by Weather 



38 PIGEON DISEASES 

changes, the bird should be placed in a warmer or 
more protected room. There are two things to do : 
(1) To apply local ointment, oil or salve to disinfect 
and dry up the passage, and (2) to furnish stimulat- 
ing and easily digested food to build up the system 
so as to ward off future attacks. In fact the catarrah 
is almost sure to be caused by the lack of exercise 
of the lung passages such as a pigeon would get if 
allowed to take its regular morning fly every day of 
the year. And this is proven by the fact that racing 
pigeons which are in training the year round are 
hardly ever bothered by such troubles. 

To prevent or treat cararrah the commonest way is 
to put some roup remedy or permanganate of potash 
in the drinking water. Just enough to turn the wa- 
ter a light rose red. This is not an absolute pre- 
ventative, but will surely prevent the spread of the 
disease by your pigeons using a common drinking 
fountain. The permanganate serves as a germicide 
and will be sufficient for all mild cases. 

For more severe cases you will have to use local 
treatment, and for this a good plan is to put a drop 
of kerosene down each nostril by using a medicine 
dropper and holding the head back until the oil en- 
ters the nose. This is a pretty severe tratment. A 
milder form would be to use 1 per cent menthol in 
albaline oil or in sweet oil. Apply this the same as 
the kerosene. It will take several applications to 
make a cure. In addition to this treatment the pigeon 
should be fed on nourishing feed. Dry bread soaked 
in milk is the most nourishing. If there is a loss of 
appetite you should give it some form of condition 
powder, of which there are many available. These 
preparations can usually be purchased as cheaply 
from supply houses as you can buy the drugs from 
the druggist to mix yourself. But for the benefit of 
those who might like to try the latter way we give a 
formula which should be beneficial: 



RESPIRATORY SYSTEM 39 

Carbonate of iron 2 drachms 

Gentian root 4 drachms 

Cayenne pepper 1 drachm 

Flower of sulphur ....2 drachms 

Hypo of sodium 1 drachm 

Salicylate of sodium..;.... 1 drachm 

This should be thoroughly pulverized, mixed to- 
gether and given in two grain doses per day. It can 
be mixed with a little honey or molasses and mould- 
ed into pellets. The purpose of this compound is to 
aid digestion and build up an appetite. 

Treatment for Bronchitis. — As this trouble is lower 
down in the system it will require more care. The 
treatment should be similar to catarrah and in addi- 
tion to this may be given every evening a couple of 
tincture of aconite pills, procurable at a druggist. 

If there is constipation it would be beneficial to 
give a dose consisting- of five drops of turpentine in 
half a spoonful of castor oil. This is recommended 
by Dr. Salmon for poultry and should be equally 
beneficial for pigeons. 

Roup or Contagious Catarrah, "Canker." 

If you have not used a germicide in the drinking 
water it is pretty certain that some of the flock will 
be taken with "roup or canker." This disease mani- 
fests itself by a bad smelling, cheesy formation ap- 
pearing in the mouth, nostrils, or eyes. of the pigeon. 
In my estimation it is the result of a poison taken up 
by the pigeon by drinking from the same vessel as 
a bird with catarrah or bronchitis. As this is un- 
doubtedly a disease of the blood there is not much 
hope of saving the bird, or, at least, bringing it back 
to a sound breeding condition. Hence, unless the speci- 
men it a very valuable one, it would be cheaper and 
better to destroy it. 

Treatment. — To treat roup you can only try to 



40 PIGEON DISEASES 

remove the "cheesy'' formation. The best way to 
do this is to dampen the blunt end of a match or 
tooth-pick and dip it into some powdered sulphate 
of copper. Touch the parts affected with this and 
allow the bird to rest for an hour or two. The cop- 
per will burn the surface of the matter, and after a 
couple of hours you can entirely remove it with a 
toothpick. Of course" all such matter should be 
thrown in the stove and burned, especially if you 
have other fowls or pigeons around, or they may con- 
tract the disease also. 

After the removal of this external formation you 
can then give the pellets as recommended under the 
head of catarrah. 

Inflammation of the Lungs. 

Pigeons also contract inflammation of the lungs 
caused by unusual exposure to cold and damp 
weather, especially is this liable to happen to birds 
confined in small quarters which do not have a 
chance to take proper exercise. 

There is not much that can be done for pigreons in 
this condition as it causes their death very rapidly, 
and explains why you sometimes find dead bird's in 
your loft on cold winter mornings. They died of lung 
congestion which they took during the night. 

Emphysema. 

This is a disease resulting from an injury to an 
air receptacle which are located in various parts of 
the body, more especially on the sides of the neck, 
or on the wings. A puffing of the skin takes place. 
This might be caused also by a gun shot wound. 

Treatment. — About all you can do is to prick the 
swelling tissue with a darning needle which has been 
dipped in a carbolized solution. Repeat if the swell- 
ing does not disappear. 



RESPIRATORY SYSTEM 



•I! 




A FANTAIL IN HEALTH, 



CHAPTER V. 
Diseases of the Digestive System. 

Sour Crop. — Pigeons are seldom crop bound like 
poultry, as they do not often get a good chance to 
eat grass which stops the exit of the crop, but they 
often do have sour crop. This is caused by eating 
mouldy grain or sour food. 

Treatment. — The best treatment is to remove the 
cause ; that is, feed whole, sound, and polished grain. 
Do not allow grain to lay on the damp floor from one 
feeding time to another. There is not much else you 
can do for this trouble, and if you skip one meal and 
then give the bird only sound grain there is not 
much to be feared. If the bird has had access to 
broken charcoal or a "grit'' containing the same, it 
will doctor itself. However, should you wish to give 
a pill mix equal parts of powdered charcoal and mus- 
tard and make a pill about the size of a pea and give 
night and morning. 

Enteritis or Diarrhea. 

The medical name for this trouble is ^astro-intes- 
tine catarrah or gastro enteritis, and in it the stomach 
and the intestines are both affected. It is, no doubt, 
caused by similar changes in climatic conditions to 
those which cause catarrah of the nostrils, and may 
be brought on by overfeeding in the fall by the birds' 
nature causing it to take up more food than it can 
properly assimilate in its endeavor to procure the 
necessary heat units to keep its body warm. 

The symptoms are a loss of appetite, roughness 
of plumage and indisposition to move. There is no 
doubt that all pigeons which are fed by hand only 
i nice or twice a day will exhibit some of these symp- 



DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 43 

toms after each feeding. When birds eat plentifully 
the walls of the crop become more than ordinarily 
distended and they become partially paralyzed and 
empty slowly. When the bird has true enteritis there 
will be frequent expulsions of soft whitish, yellow- 
ish, or greenish excretment, which is irritating to the 
cloaca and to the neighboring parts. The droppings 
gradually become more liquid until severe diarrhea 
sets in. In the latter stages the cloaca becomes in- 
flamed and the feathers surrounding it become mat- 
ted with excreta. 

Treatment. — See that the drinking water is pure, 
and it would be beneficial to put a little oatmeal or 
skim milk in it. Give the bird a teaspoonful of olive 
oil as a laxative to carry off any irritating matters, 
and follow with y 2 grain of bicarbonate of soda and 
1 grain of subnitrate of bismuth in a little water, 
three times a day. 

Of course, if the digestive trouble is due to sour 
food, it should yield to the same treatment as rec- 
ommended for sour crop. 

Constipation. 

Is usually caused by dry, astringent food, or it may 
be caused by irritation of the mucous membrane. 
Pigeons troubled with constipation exhibit similar 
symptoms to gastritis with the additional symptom 
that they walk with difficulty. 

Treatment.— Place some epsom salts in the drink- 
ing water, a tablespoonful to a gallon of water, and 
permit the bird to take more exercise. 

A skillful feeder will seldom be troubled with any 
digestive troubles. 

Going Light (Asthenia). 

This is a trouble often found in pigeons, especially 
in the very young and the very old specimens. It is 
no doubt due to some constitutional weakness which 



44 PIGEON DISEASES 

causes the bird to be very susceptible to digestive 
trouble, and this results in a chronic condition. Of 
course, when it appears in young birds it may be 
overcome by careful treatment and feeding; but 
there is always the probability that such birds will 
again take the disease and that they will transmit it 
to their progeny. Hence it is doubtful if it pays to 
try to doctor such specimens, and as their excreta is 
liable to spread the disease they should be destroyed 
and the place where they were thoroughly disin- 
fected. 

Some recent investigations conducted by Dr. A. W. 
Thomas and printed at length in Pigeons & Pigeon 
Flying, May, 1917, traced this disease to a parasite 
which attached itself to the large intestine, and that 
it not only robbed the bird of the nutritive value of 
its food, causing it to lose weight, although well fed, 
but it further irritated the bird by causing inflamma- 
tion within the bowel itself, thereby aggrevating the 
weakened condition. 

Other authors claim it is largely due to young birds 
taking into their systems impurities by eating food 
soiled with excreta. This is possible, and by such 
means the larvae of these internal parasites as de- 
scribed by Dr. Thomas would be given an oppor- 
tunity to be hatched out within the intestinal tract 
of such bird and, in turn, develop and cause trouble. 

Treatment. — First, the specimen should be re- 
moved to a sanitary place and be allowed water to 
drink, but no food, until the crop is emptied. If the 
bird is very weak, it will have to be fed by hand 
and such food should be easily digested. Perhaps the 
best is stale bread soaked in fresh milk. Don't give 
too much. After, as the bird improves, soaked peas 
and rice can be given. 

Dr. Tresidder, an English authority, recommends 
a pill composed as follows, be given three times a 
day: 



DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 45 

Aloin, grain %. 

Resin of phodyphillin, grain %. 

Extract of belladonna, grain y&. 

Capsicum, grain 1/80. 
^ JSglljII Strychnine, grain 1/80. 

As medicinal agents to remove the cause by pur- 
gation use castor oil in teaspoonful doses. After 
purgation use a stimulating tonic and the following 
has been recommended by Dr. Salmon : Powdered fen- 
nel, anise, coriander seed, cinchona, each 30 grains; 
powdered gentian and ginger, of each 1 drachm; pow- 
dered sulphate of iron, 15 grains. Mix thoroughly and 
make into 200 pills and give one pill twice a day. 

Liver Trouble. 

Pigeons which have not been able to get a proper 
amount of exercise are subject to liver trouble, which 
is indicated by the huddled up appearance of the bird, 
but more particularly by a frothing of the moisture in 
the droppings. In the advanced stages one wing will 
often drop and the bird appear to walk lop-sided. 
Treatment. — See that the food makes a properly bal- 
anced' ration. The following tonic pill is said to be 
very beneficial in such cases : Take pulverized capisicii, 
1 drachm ; pepsin, jA drachm ; pyro, phos. iron, 1 
drachm ; quinine, 15 grains ; extract of gentian, suffi- 
cient for 60 pills. Give two every twelve hours. 

Fatty Degeneration of the Liver. 

Pigeons when over-fat are troubled with degen- 
eration of the liver. This can best be determined by 
the layers of fat forming on the abdominal walls, 
which are a sure indication that the liver is also sur- 
rounded with fat. This is caused by feeding food con- 
sisting of too much fat forming material, such as corn 
or maize. The birds in this condition will be more 
or less listless and inactive. 

Treatment. — Drop the corn diet and cause the birds 
to take more exercise, if possible. Put some epsom 



46 PIGEON DISEASES 

salts in the drinking' water. Green food, such as wa- 
ter cress or lettuce leaves, will be found to be bene- 
ficial. 

Inflammation of the Bowels. 

This, trouble is undoubtedly censed by irregulari- 
ties in feeding", such as feeding too much of improper 
food, or feeding - too much at one meal and not enough 
at another. The disease usually shows itself by the 
crop filling with water, which is of a greenish color. 
The bird refuses to eat and is constantly drinking. 

Treatment. — Give twice a day of a pill made of five 
grains of carbonate of bismouth, with a quarter of 
grain of opium. 

Egg" Bound. 

Young hen pigeons which have been highly fed on 
fat forming foods during the winter months are otten 
troubled when passing the first egg in the spring. 
Especially is this true when birds are kept in confined 
quarters. Birds in such condition will appear all out 
of sorts. It will go on the nest but will not. remain 
there on account of the pain when such conditions ap- 
pear, the egg can be felt in the oviduct and if it is not 
relieved inflammation may arise and trouble ensue. 

Treatment. — The best thing to do is to inject a drop 
or two of salad oil into the vent, using- a medicine 
dropper. And give the bird ten to twenty drops of 
linseed or salad oil every two hours until relieved. 
If this fails, it has been recommended that a flannel 
cloth soaked in hot water be applied to the vent. This 
latter will generally relieve all cases. 

A writer upon this subject in a treatise upon the 
management of canary birds, says : Should the bird 
become egg bound, procure some hot water and then 
take the bird and lay it on its back on some soft place 
and with a piece of soft flannel bathe the abdomen 
of the bird with the warm water. The heat of the 



DIGESTIVE SYSTEM 47 

water will remove the inflammation and pain and al- 
1 hough the bird may flutter at first, it will shortly 
quiet down. After such application, moisten the vent 
with, not more than two drops of sweet oil and then 
liberate the bird. Such treatment should be beneficial 
for pigeons. But care should be exercised so as not 
to break the egg within the bird. 

Soft Shelled Eggs. 

Soft shelled eggs are not as common among pigeons 
as among chickens, for the reason a pigeon does not 
lay as many eggs in a year as a fowl. But, occasion- 
ally a pigeon will lay a soft shelled egg. But this 
seldom happens when they have access to old lime or 
proper grit. It is caused, no doubt, by the bird be- 
ing over-fat, which throws the egg production or- 
gans out of order. 

Treatment. — Allow the birds to have access to a 
good commercial grit and give them more freedom and 
exercise. 

Inflammation of the Oviduct. 

This is caused by retention of a part of the egg 
which may have remained through a soft shelled egg 
being broken in the oviduct. Under such conditions 
a whitish, shiny liquid will be voided and the bird 
strains much when expelling it. Sometimes egg mat- 
ter is also voided. 

Treatment. — The treatment must be quick or death 
will soon follow. With a stripped feather oil the lower 
parts of the passage, and give ten drops of pure lin- 
seed oil every two hours until six such doses have 
been given, then give only every six hours. 



CHAPTER VI'. 

Diseases of the Nervous System. 

While- pigeons are, no .doubt, troubled with many 
nervous diseases there are only a few which manifest 
themselves to us. 

Apoplexy. 

Apoplexy is the result of a rupture of the blood 
vessels of the brain and pressure from the escaped 
blood ; hence this disease as a rule terminates fatally. 
Such accidents are attributable to stimulating food, 
to over feeding or mechanical injuries ; or it may be 
caused by the violent exertion of laying the egg (hens 
are sometimes found dead on the nest from this 
cause). In severe cases the bird will simply fall down 
in a fit and die. In mild cases the fit is less severe and 
the bird apparently recovers. 

Treatment. — The treatment should be preventive. 
Feed a greater variety of food and allow more exer- 
cise. If the bird is seen to have the fit, and is laying 
sprawling and kicking on the ground, relief may be 
effected by holding a hump of ice against the head 
for two or three minutes and then cooping the bird 
in a dark, quiet place. Give it a half pint of drinking 
water in which one-fourth ounce of cream of tartar or 
baking soda has been added. Gradually reduce the 
strength of this drink and keep the bird quiet in a 
semi-dark place for a week. 

Vertigo (Megrims). 

Vertigo, or megrims, as it is commonly called, is 
by no means an uncommon disease. It is character- 
ized by convulsive attacks with loss of consciousness 
which occur from time to time. The head is held in 
an unnatural position. When disturbed it will walk 



NERVOUS SYSTEM 49 

backwards, or turn round and round. It seems to 
''see things" and loses its sense of direction. Mr. Vale 
in his book on Pigeon Diseases says that he has in his 
possession a portion of the skull of a pigeon that died 
of this disease, which was set up by bone pressure. 
A nail or some sharp pointed substance had, at some 
time previously, penetrated the skull, causing the 
growth of bone to form on its inner surface. It is 
supposed that many cases are due to tubercular dis- 
ease in the cranial bones. 

Treatment. — There is not much you can do for such 
cases and as the bird will hardly be fit for breeding 
purposes again it might as well be destroyed. About 
all you can do is to treat as in apoplexy and give a 
mild aperient drink to which may be added a little 
salt. Some recommend bromide of potash, 3 to 5 
grains two times a day. 




Pigeon in spasm due to an exclusive diet of polished rice. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Constitutional Diseases. 

As I have explained about going light under the 
head of digestive diseases, it remains to treat only of 
cancer and rheumatic troubles under the head of con- 
stitutional diseases. 

Cancer. 

Cancer is somewhat similar to canker as described 
under roup, but is often found in birds when there 
is no sign of roup around the place. It is really a 
tubercular ulcer and may be found in various parts 
of the body. Of course when it comes on the bill, 
head, wing or feet it is most easily seen, but such 
sores, while they resemble cancer, are often the re- 
sult of accidental bruises caused by fighting or quar- 
reling. The accompanying illustration shows how 
almost the whole body may be covered with "canker" 
sores. The causes for such disease are two : a weak 
condition of the blood, and contagion. 

Treatment. — Of course it is folly to try to breed 
from a bird having this disease, and it might as well 
be destroyed ; especially if it is a severe case. In a 
mild case, however, a partial cure may be affected 
and a few more young obtained from such a bird. 
The treatment should be similar as described for roup. 
But should the sore be on some external part of the 
body it would be well to paint the spot for several days 
with tincture of iodine, using it full strength and ap- 
plying with the tip of a feather or camel hair brush. 
This will bring the sore to "a head" and draw out 
the matter. After this foreign matter is squeezed 
out paint again with the tincture of iodine to disin- 
fect the wound. A "canker lotion" recommended by 
Mr. Vale is : Perchloride of iron, one part ; oil of 



CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES 51 

turpentine, one part; and glycerine, six parts. Shake 
well before applying. 

Scrofula. 

Scrofula is a similar disease to cancer but of 
a milder form, and should yield to the treatment and 
remedy as recommended for cancer. 




The above illustration shows a pigeon affected with cancer which 
is said tc be caused chiefly by in-breeding and also by the 
effects of domestication of animals. Cancer in pigeons makes 
its first appearance as a slowly growing lump consisting of solid 
flesh and should be distinguished from abscesses, which are 
always filled with "pus." It affects old birds more often than 
young and is not accompanied by any other form of sickness. 



52 



PIGEON DISEASES 



Smallpox (So-called) or Pigeon Pox. 

This is a tubercular disease (fungoid) of a most viru- 
lent and contagious form and is similar to comb disease in 
fowls. It is found among birds that are closely confined 
or overcrowded, and compelled to breath the same air 
over and over again. It is said that the free use of indian 
corn or maize is apt to put the birds in a condition to be 
susceptible to this disease. It shows itself by small nodu- 
lar swellings on some part of the face, usually on the 
wattle of the nose or the eye cere. By a process of ulcer- 
ation the tissue around the swelling is soon destroyed 
and a yellowish sloughing discharge comes away. The 
disease rapidly extends and the head becomes much 
swollen or the sores cause the eyes to be closed, shut. 
These sores are also found in various parts of the body, 
and resemble the "warts" found on the hands of children. 
They soon show a central depression, an opening forms, 
or the summit is rubbed off accidentally, or by the bird's 
beak, after which there is a discharge of watery, or later 
of a thick, yellowish matter which soils the feathers and 
which, if abundant, may become foul and disagreeable. 

When the disease is local the general health of the 
bird does not seem to suffer and recovery may be rapid. 
But as the disease is contagious, the affected birds should 
be confined in quarters by themselves. 

Treatment — The preventive treatment consists in ex- 
cluding affected birds from the premises, in thoroughly 
cleaning the pigeon house by whitewashing or spraying 
hem with solution containing three parts carbolic acid and 




PIGEONS AFFECTED WITH PIGEON POX. 



CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES 



53 



then opening them to dry out. Some people put a little 
sulfur in the food or applying an ointment of sulfur 
made by stirring a teaspoon of sulfur flour into an 
ounce of vaseline. Or by bathing the sores until they be- 
come soft with warm water and soap, and then applying 
a solution of a drahm of sulfate of copper (blue stone) 
in a one-half pint of water. This treatment should be 





These illustrations Show How to Tie Up a Broken Pigeon's Wing. 

accompanied by a general cleaning and disinfecting of 
the premises. 

Gout. 

This is the name given to a tubercular disease when 
it appears on the feet of pigeons and is treated similarly. 
The joints become swollen and warty looking lumps 
are formed. 

Wing Disease. 

The so-called wing disease is similar to gout or cancer. 
It obtains its name from being a local trouble and it set- 



54 PIGEON DISEASES 

ties usually in one or more joints of the wing causing a 
lump and the wings to droop at the side of the bird. 
But drooping of the wings may also be due to rheu- 
matism (which see). When there are tubercular sores 
it should be treated the same as for Pigeon-pox. 

Dr. Cunningham recommends giving one grain of 
Salol, three times a day. The Salol can be mixed with 
bread and divided into pills. 

Birds suffering from wing disease, or "lump on the 
wing" as it is usually called, are liable to droop the wing 
permanently; hence it is a good plan to support the wing 
in a sling while treating this disease. A sbng can be 
made from some narrow tape or soft cord as indicated 
in the accompanying illustration. It will be necessary 
to draw it fairly tight in order to have it hold. To apply 
get a friend to hold the bird and take a piece of tape suf- 
ficiently long and pass it over the shoulder ot the wing, 
and tie in a double knot so it will rest on the secondaries, 
as shown. Then raise the wing into its normal position 
and tie the two loose ends into another double knot. 

Rheumatism. 

Rheumatism in pigeons is usually indicated by inability 
to walk, although this must not be confounded with the 
weakness of some young hen pigeons when trying to lay 
their first egg. But when birds are troubled at other times 
than the laying period with leg weakness or inability to 
walk or to fly, it is a pretty safe sign that it has rheuma- 
tism. This disease may come on gradually or suddenly 
and is most likely to appear during damp and chang- 
able weather. 

Treatment, — Put the bird in a dry place and feed on 
easily digested food such as rice, and dry bread. Get 
some 5 grain tablets of Salciate of Soda ;«.nd break into 
four parts. Put one of these down the pigeon's throat, 
every three or four hours, and you should note an im- 
provement in the bird's actions in 24 hour;. If the bird 
cannot walk place it on a pile of dry hay or straw so it 
can lie comfortably. If you can locate the pari: by no- 
ticing that it is hot and feverish you can cause relief 



CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES 55 

by rubbing the place with Oil of Wintergreen. Just 
put a drop or two on the spot and rub in. 

Cholera. 

This is a contagious disease caused by a. bacteria and 
easily transmissable. It is mentioned in some of the old- 
est works of diseases of animals. It attacks all kinds of 
domesticated poultry and affects some- species of wild 
birds. The infection generally starts by the bird drinking 
water contaminated with the excreta of sick birds ; al- 
though it is possible for birds to be infected through sores 
on their skin or by inhalation of the germs in the form 
of dust suspended in the air. 

The first sign of the disease is the yellowish appear- 
ance of the urates or that part of the excreta voided 
from the kidneys ; this latter in the healthy pigeon is 
pure white, although it may be tinted yellow from 
other causes than cholera. While this coleration is not 
an infallable sign, such birds should be removed from 
the rest of the flock and watched carefully. The next 
indictation of cholera will be diarrhea in which the 
excreta consist of a frothy mucas. In later stages the 
urates change to green and the bird becomes very weak 
as in "going light." Its crop will often be distended 
with food and apparently paralyzed. 

Treatment. — According to Dr. Salmon there is not 
much hope of saving a bird which has become affected 
with true cholera. Manv of the remedies said to be use- 
ful have never been tried on true cholera. The best 
method to pursue is one -of disinf esting by whitewash- 
ing the whole house with wash containing 5% carbolic 
and whitewash the floor as well as the ceiling and 
walls. The ground of the fly should also be sprayed 
white or sprinkled with lime and spaded up thorough- 
ly. Hence the best remedy against cholera is to thor- 
oughly disinfect by whitewashing or painting at least 
twice a year. There is not much you can do to treat 
such a bird. The treatment would be the same as in 
going light. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Parasites. 

While there are over fifty -kinds of lice which infect 
poultry, there are only a few commonly found on pigeons 
and these may be divided into three groups. 

A. Those which live upon the body and bite or gnaw 
the flesh. 

B. Those which live upon the feathers or skin, some 
of which are seemingly unharmful, and 

C. Those which live in the connective tissue, or 
intestinal canal. 

Class A. Spizoa. 

Those in class A are called spizoa and usually they 
suck blood or bite the flesh. These do not remain con- 
stantly upon the birds but leave them at certain periods 
and under certain conditions to hide about the nest and 
in the cracks of the walls of the building. While on the 
bird they puncture the skin and suck the blcod for their 
nourishment According to Dr. Salmon, "the coleopeter- 
ous larva gnaw the skin and even the superficial muscles 
of the neck and abdomen of young pigeons, producing 
serious wounds which often cause death. 

"The bird flea is commonly found attacking pigeons 
and the dove cote bug, which resembles the ordinary bed- 
bug, and by some is thought to be identical with it, also 
torments pigeons. The tick also lives in pigeon houses 
and hides during the day in cracks and holes, coming out 
at night to attack the birds and showing preference for 
young pigeons, which often die of exhaustion due to loss 
of blood in from 10 to 15 days. The older birds torment- 
ed by these vermin are driven from their eggs and thus 
pigeon raising becomes very difficult." 

"The red mite, or dermanyssus gallineae, is the most 
common and most perniciously active of all the parasites 
which attack birds. It is from 1-35 to 1-40 inch in length, 



PARASITES 



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58 PIGEON DISEASES 

yellowish, white, or dark red in color, according as it is 
fasting or is more or less filled with blood. This para- 
site hides by day in the crevices and corners of the build- 
ings, nests, perches, floors, etc., where it may be found in 
great clusters, and at night the individuals composing 
these clusters scatter themselves over the birds, and by 
pricking the skin fill themselves with blood. They are in- 
jurious not only on account of the blood which is ab- 
stracted, but because of the itching, pain, and loss of rest 
which is a necessary consequence of their activity. 

"Young pigeons, chickens, and cage birds are the 
greatest sufferers ; their skin becomes pale and bloodless, 
they lose their usual vigor and alertness, become emanci- 
ated, and finally die from exhaustion. The red mite is 
not usually found upon the fowls when they are ex- 
amined during the day, for its natural tendency is to 
confine its foraging to the night, but when it is allowed 
to multiply until very abundant, the birds are infested 
both day and night, and it becomes, apparently at least, 
a permanent parasite. According to Zurn, these mites 
sometimes enter the nasal cavities of young pigeons and 
chickens, and set up a catarrhal inflamation, and they 
have also been found in the external openings of the ear. 

The red mite may get upon people and cause consider- 
able itching and some irritation of the skin and it may, 
also, attack horses and other animals stabled near the 
pigeon house. It causes horses to rub and bite them- 
selves, the hair over the affected places is lost, and there 
is an eruption similar to 'that which occurs in the common 
mange. 

Class B, Epizoa. 

The epizoa of our second group are all mites. The 
Epidermoptes cause a form of scabies characterized by 
the production of dry, grayish, yellow crusts of scales. 
The disease is seen on any part of the body, but only 
rarely about the head. 

The Sarcoptes laevis produces the true scabies of pig- 
eons. The skin is ^ot much affected but the feathers 
break and are shed Lorn the affected surfaces. This dis- 



PARASITES 59 

ease and the scabies of the legs will be treated with all 
necessary detail at the end of the general article on the 
epizoa. 

Class C, The Mites. 

"The third class, which live in the connective tissue 
and air surfaces, might, perhaps, be more properly placed 
among the entozoa. They are all mites, and some of them 
pass a portion of their existence upon the surface of the 
body. It is most convenient, therefore, to consider them 
in connection with the other mites. The Cytodites nudus 
lives in the air sacs and connective tissue of fowls and 
pheasants. They are found in the trachea, bronchi, lungs, 
and the various air sacs including those of the bones. 
They have also been reported as found in the thoracic 
and peritoneal cavities. Some authors state that they 
have observed them in yellow, miliary tubercles of the 
body cavities, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Large numbers 
of the Cytodites may exist in the air sacs without their 
presence being suspected during the life of the bird. 
When they are very numerous in the bronchi-, they cause 
irritation of the mucous membrane, catarrh and cough- 
ing. Megnin states that they may cause death by conges- 
tion of the bronchial tubes. Gerlach and Zundel believe 
the Cytodites may cause enteritis and peritonitis. In 
small numbers these mites are not very injurious, but 
when birds are badly infested they become anaemic, lose 
flesh, stop laying eggs, show catarrhal symptoms, droop 
and die. 

"The Harpirhynchus nidulans lives in tumors of the 
skin on pigeons and sparrows. When present in small 
numbers only it is nearly harmless, and, at most, causes 
slight local irritation and disturbance to the growth of 
feathers. If very numerous, there is impaired nutrition, 
loss of flesh, and frequently a fatal ending. 

"The Falciger rostratus of the pigeon, which is really 
one of the feather mites, is able to introduce itself into 
the connective tissue beneath the skin, which it enters 
by way of the feather follicles, and there spends a por- 
tion of its life. Robertson examined a considerable num- 



60 PIGEON DISEASES 

191 

ber of both wild and tame pigeons and rarely found the 
connective tissue free from this parasite. He found it 
chiefly in the subcutaneous connective tissue around the 
large veins of the neck, and on the surface of the peri- 
cardum. No disturbance of the health has been observed 
to result from the presence of this parasite. 

The lice of birds vary greatly in size, the largest vari- 
eties being one-sixth of an inch long, and the smallest 
not more than one-thirtieth of an inch in length. Lice 
are to be found everywhere because the birds of the air 
carry them from place to place and while you may be 
free from them today; tomorrow a bird may drop some 
in your coop and your troubles will begin all over again. 
But there are preparations with which the pigeon keeper 
can successfully fight these pests. 

Treatment. — Perhaps the most beneficial thing to 
help pigeons rid themselves of lice is the clean 
water bath, and this, of itself, should rid the bird 
of any that might have remained on the body. 
But it will not destroy those which have left 
the body during the day to hide and lay its 
eggs in some crack and crevice of the building. To 
destroy these, you must occasionally whitewash the. 
building. This should be done at least twice a year. And 
there should be a constant use of some good insect pow- 
der. Dalmation insect powder, obtainable at all drug 
stores is good but it is too expensive for general use. 
There are some good preparations on the market for this 
purpose but some of them contain such a large percent- 
age of napthalene flake that they cannot be used success- 
fully around the pigeon nest. In fact, if you will read 
the printed directions on some of them it says "Do not 
use within 5 days of hatchmg time." So if lice are 
found in a nest at this period you are helpless. There 
is one powder, at least which can be used any time, and 
as it is advertised in the Pigeon papers we need not men- 
tion it here. It can be dusted over one-day-old squabs 
without harm and without causing the old birds to 
"stay off" the nest or hesitate about feeding them. And 



PARASITES 61 

as in the warm weather of July and August, we get a 
new crop of lice every few days from the eggs which 
are laid, it is necessary to use some such powder free- 
ly in the nest every seventh day. 

Another treatment recommended by the Reverend J. 
Lucas in his work on the "Pleasures of a Pigeon Fan- 
cier," published about 30 years ago, is an ointment com- 
pounded of one-fourth pound of blue unction, and one 
oz. of lard. Place the two ingredients in a small pot near 
a fire until they melt and then let stand until cool. It is 
then ready for use. "Twice a year," says this author, "I 
inspect every bird on the premises and I never admit a 
new purchase into the loft without its first undergoing 
examination, which is generally needful." 

"Apply the ointment sparingly. Holding the bird in 
the left hand, place a piece about the size of a pea on the 
tip of the forefinger of the right hand ; put it on the bird 
on the affected part, the heat of the bird's body will melt 
it and spread as much as possible. A place where insects 
love to congregate is under the lower beak. Here they 
lay their eggs and dwell at ease, for the bird cannot mo- 
lest them. The eggs are attached to the root of the fea- 
thers. They are small, round and whitish — sometime 
half a dozen will adhere to one feather. Gradually they 
multiply and spread around the head and in a day or two 
the nits will be shrivelled to nothing." 

Another has found that it is wise to rub some of such 
ointment in a circle around the vent of the bird on the 
supposition that the lice will go to the vent to get mois- 
ture. We have never tried this on pigeons, but it works 
well on poultry. This product is a poison and too much 
should not be used at one time. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Miscellaneous. 

Egg Eating. 

We have never heard of pigeons eating their eggs, in 
fact, they do not seem to touch them when found on the 
floor broken. 

Salt Cat. 

As some of my readers no doubt, will have heard or 
be told to give the sick pigeons "Salt-Cat," I will give a 
formula for this compound as given by Mr.' Woodhouse, 
one of England's most famous breeders of Short Faced 
Tumblers, but who is now long since dead. His formula 
was: 

I peck of sifted loam and clay, \y 2 pounds of flour, 
together with 1 handful of each' of the following: cum- 
min, aniseed, ground cloves, carraway, fennel, dill, fenu- 
greek, powdered assafoetida, common salt, bay salt, lin- 
seed, canary, hemp, ground all spices. Mix well to- 
gether dry, then add water and mix stiffly. Make into 
three lumps and bake in a slow oven for one hour. 

Note : — In this compound I would recommend to 
American pigeon men that they use find sand instead 
of "loam." 

Shivering. 

This is a peculiar condition sometimes found in pig- 
eons. They will stand all huddled up and shivering all 
the time. This, however, must not be confused with the 
trembling "shaker" fantails. Shivering indicates that 
there is something wrong and it would be well to treat 
the same as for liver trouble, or simply give a tonic and 
see if the bird does not improve. 

Moping. 

In visiting pigeon lofts we often see a bird "moping" 
or sitting off in a corner all huddled up. This is called 
moping. If it is not due to lice, it is due to some disease 



MISCELLANEOUS 63 

mentioned in this hook, and search should be made for 
a cause. Of course, all pigeons will apparently "mope" 
some after a full feed and in so doing are simply taking 
a "nap" like many people do after a hearty meal. Mop- 
ing is quite likely to be caused by over feeding or irreg- 
ular feeding. The old time fancier used to cure such 
cases by pulling out all the tail feathers of such birds. 
They would hold the bird firmly with one hand, and with 
the other grab all the tail feathers and pull all of them 
with one jerk. The bird would seem to pick up. No 
wonder, this would be a shock which would require a lot 
of additional food to build up another lot of tail feathers. 

The Moult and Its Management. 

It may seem a little out of place to take space to tell 
about the moulting of pigeons in a book on diseases, but 
I am convinced that far greater success would be 
achieved by all who raise pigeons if they would only con- 
sider this phenomenon as a period of sickness and give 
their birds special care and attention as if they were real- 
ly sick. 

The act of shedding of feathers by birds is peculiar 
and is one of the chief evidences of the common ancestry 
of birds and reptiles as they both discard their external 
coverings at stated periods. 

The earliest indication of the moult is the shedding of 
the first primary flight and this is likely to occur as soon 
as the birds raise their first pair of youngsters ; and, as 
soon as this feather is fully grown the next one on both 
sides is ejected. After five or six of the flights have 
been regrown, the smaller feathers of the wing will begin 
to shed and a little later the body feathers will drop out. 

In the tail, the first feathers to moult are the two out- 
side ones, next come the next two and the center ones are 
the last. Of course, a healthy pigeon will have a normal 
moult, and the weak ones will moult badly ; hence to 
watch the moult is a pretty good way to determine the 
health and vigor of your flock. If conditions are un- 
favorable and the weather is changeable, your birds^ may 
get a set back which will affect them for the remainder 
of their lives. There is no question but that the moult 



64 PIGEON DISEASES 

is a severe strain on the system and should have the best 
of care at such time. 

To give good care means generous feeding of all es- 
sentials and you must not be discouraged if there is a 
let up in the breeding operations. In fact it is because of 
this extra strain that many fanciers separate their birds 
in July when the moult is in full swing, and they keep 
them separated until next breeding season. If the moult 
does not progress as it should, it would be a good idea to 
give a tonic and keep some iron in the drinking water. 
The tincture of iron is best. Fifteen or twenty drops to 
the gallon of water is about right. 

Feather Rot. 

While I have never had experience with Feather Rot 
in pigeons, but have heard of it and find it is most fully 
treated in the work on Pigeon Diseases, by ''Squills," 
hence it is copied herewith. He says: 

"After most careful consideration, I am inclined to 
think the disease as we know it in England, must be 
classed under three different headings : ( 1 ) Disease of 
the Blood; (2) Skin Disease, Parsite; (3) Atmos- 
pheric). 

"The symptoms are that the feathers become rotten 
and fall out. First the chest is attacked with bare patches, 
then follows a looseness in the shoulders and wing 
coverts. 

"In cases 1 and 2, the symptoms are generally as de- 
scribed, but in the case of 3 the flights and tail apparent- 
ly become brittle and rotten, the webbing breaking off in 
flakes and particles and having the appearance as though 
eaten by some feather devouring mite. The disease gen- 
erally makes itself known in the breeding season. 

"Cause 1) disease of the blood, is due to the kidneys 
not doing their work properly. Earthiness of the sys- 
tem arises and there is no proper secretion to the 
feather glands. 

"In the development of the feather there is first a 
small bulb, which subsequently bursts its covering and by 
gradual stages the new feather becomes fully developed. 



MISCELLANEOUS 65 

"Let a check take place whilst a flight feather, in fact 
any feather, is in a state of partial development, and it 
will be noticable that the feather is marked with a stain 
from side to side. Even the smallest feathers can be fret 
marked in this manner. Again, who has not seen young- 
sters in the nest with long, pipy feathers, which, for some 
cause, refuse to burst, or the old birds, growing blood 
quills, which, if damaged in this state, will burst and a 
disease of shrivelled feathers be the outcome? 

"If I am right in assuming that one form of the disease 
is due to kidney trouble or blood disorder, what is the 
best remedy? I have noticed that the disease in this 
form is most prevalent in localities nearer the sea, es- 
pecially where salted grits are obtainable in abundance. 

"If the Gizzard and Kidney are given too much work 
to perform, the blood immediately becomes disordered. 
Improper grit, salt cats that induce birds to eat more grit 
than is good for them induces the disease more quickly 
than anything I know. 

"In case of a valuable bird that is affected, a cure 
may be affected by the following treatment. After the 
moulting season, separate the subject and do not allow 
it to breed in the spring. Feed on good peas, tares and 
beans ; not too old. Avoid hemp seed, canary seed or 
small heating grains. Do not use artificially salted grains 
until patient is well. 

(2) "Skin disease — Arcus. At one time I consid- 
ered the feather rot in all forms due to one and the same 
cause; but careful examination of the subject has con- 
vinced me this is not the case. When it is caused by kid- 
ney disorder the bird looses its power of flight, but when 
caused by a parasite the bird flys as well as other mem- 
bers of the loft. 

A remedy I tried in a serious case was to remove 
the feathers around the affected part and thoroughly 
grease the skin of the bird with an ointment made of 
vaseline and sulphur and give an apierent and tonic pills. 

(3) "Atmospheric. This form of the disease con- 
sists of the breaking of the ends of the flights, brittleness, 
rotting of the web of the larger feathers such as the tail 



66 PIGEON DISEASES 

and flights. In my opinion, this form of the disease is 
due to the loft being unsuitable, low temperature of the 
birds, and ammonia permeating the atmosphere. Thus, 
over stables, where horses are kept underneath, in crow- 
ed, humid lofts, where dung is allowed to accumulate or 
the floor and ammonia arises, or in lofts situated in 
marshy districts, where the birds are always living in a 
state of humidity. 

"The remedy lies in such immediate alterations of the 
lofts to insure absolute dryness. Plenty of sunlight 
should be admitted into the loft and the birds fed on 
sound, dry well-harvested grain." 

This author has evidently given some thought to this 
subject and in the main his diagnosis is correct. I do 
believe, however, that 1 and 2 symptoms as "Squills" 
describes are simply two stages of the same trouble. Or, 
perhaps I had better say 2 was contracted by contagion 
form of No. 1. In my opinion the trouble is a form of 
scurvy such as sailors who have been on a salt meat diet 
for a long time contract. For this then, I would recom- 
mend unsalted grit and grain; and if some green stuff 
such as lettuce or water-cress could be obtained, it would 
be beneficial. Just make a small pocket on the side of 
the coop of one inch mesh of woven wire, and put the 
greens behind it and you will soon see it disappear. 

Pipeons must have grit to produce feathers and when 
it is excessively salty it will disarrange the system. 

For the No. 2 form, I would suggest a similar method 
of feeding, but in addition I would wash the parts twice 
a day with a saturated solution of Hypophosphate of 
Soda. Two or three applications will cause the parasite 
to disappear. 

The No. 3 form is, perhaps, the most difficult to handle 
and it evidently occurs most frequently in old birds and 
it is undoubtedly due to impure air being taken into the 
system. If it is due to ammonia gases as described, a 
lump of Sulphate of Iron in the drinking water should be 
a corrective ; and the pigeons should be given a tonic of 
some kind. 



MISCELLANEOUS 67 

Young Dying in the Shell. 

In the spring of the year, especially with the first round 
of eggs, we hear of many young pigeons dying in the 
shell. This is due to two probable causes : ( 1 ) Owing to 
the shells being unduly hard 1 or the young being unduly 
weak; (2) owing to the old birds leaving the eggs too 
long to obtain food for themselves on a cold day. 

As both of these troubles are due to what might be 
called "natural causes," or causes which are in the na- 
ture of the parent birds they are difficult to overcome. 
About the only thing you could do provided the parent 
birds are tame and will let you put your hand in the nest, 
would be to visit the nest with a cup of hot water night 
and morning after the 14th day and dip the eggs into this 
water for a moment or two or as long as you can hold 
your hand in it. The water should not be over 104 de- 
grees F., this will open the pores of the outer shell and 
the warmth will put more vigor into the youngster. 

Disease of the Vent. 

Sometimes female pigeons, when laying will displace 
the vent and unless attended to inflamation' will set in. 
This also may be caused by a tumor in the cloaca. 

Treatment, — If any part of the internal organs come 
out they should be greased and put back. The vent 
should then be washed with a strong solution of alum 
water several times a day. The bird should be kept quiet 
by itself and fed sparingly. Do not allow such a bird to 
mate until thoroughly well. 

Barren Hens. 

Dr. Chas. L. Lang, some time ago offered in Pigeon 
News, the following remedy for barren hens : One quarter 
grain each of willow charcoal, powdered capsicum, ex- 
tract of nux-vomica, and pepsin, made into a tablet and 
dropped down the bird's throat at night. He adds: 
"While the nux-vomica is poisonous, I have tested it 
by dropping two such tablets down a squeaker's throat, 
Only a week old, without any serious symptoms." 



CHAPTER X. 
Surgery. 

The surgical operations which it is possible to perform 
with safety especially by the novice or uninitiated are 
very few ; and some of these operations should not be 
attempted until you have seen them performed by some- 
one with experience. With this precaution, I will try to 
explain how to handle some of the simpler ones. 

Before . trying to perform an operation on a pigeon, 
especially if it is likely to bleed, the operator should wash 
his hands in clean water into which some carbolic acid 
has been added : one part acid to 200 parts water. 

The knives or instruments to be used should have all 
been immersed in a similar water and this must be done 
before passing from one bird to another, when more than 
one bird is to be operated upon. Mr. Vale says he has 
removed entire wings and legs from the body of a live 
pigeon and they have soon recovered. 

Trimming the Beak. 

Pigeons kept constantly on a board floor or on soft 
earth, often grow a long upper bill and this is especial- 
ly true on some of the shorter billed varieties. 

Should this be allowed to grow too long it will prevent 
the bird from picking up grain and it will starve to death. 
This hard horny tip of the beak can be trimmed off 
with a sharp pen knife. It is more easily done when you 
sharp knife soon has all the excessive growth trimmed 
off. You must be careful, however, and not cut away 
too much. You can tell how much you can trim by 
holding the bird up to the light and you will see the 
tip which is clear. As this beak is like the finger nail 
of a person, it does not hurt to cut it away, but as 
you get down close it will hurt and if you get too 
close it will bleed. 



SURGERY 69 

Through such experiment some fanciers learned that 
the trimming made the bills of the short faced birds look 
better and they often practice it before show time; but 
should a judge be able to detect this operation he would 
be justified in throwing out such a specimen. 

All beaks which have been trimmed will grow out 
again ; hence I would advise to refrain from trimming 
unless it is absolutely necessary. If the birds are fed 
upon a flat stone or cement surface, it will keep their 
beaks short enough. 

Trimming Toe Nails. 

What has been said about beaks applies fully to the 
pigeon's toe-nails. In trimming the toe-nail, however, 
you should try to cut it so as to leave it in a normal and 
natural shape. Do not cut it off square with a pair of 
nippers as I saw a fellow do once. It is better to use a 
sharp knife and the tip should be left somewhat pointed. 
Long toe-nails is a sign of old age and a bird with an old 
band and short nails indicates that the toe-nails have 
been cut. 

Broken Bones. 

. Sometimes an accident will happen and your pigeon's 
leg or foot will be broken. This will soon heal and the 
bird will recover, if you set the bone properly. To do 
this use some thin card board cut into narrow strips and 
after the bones are put in proper place the strips should 
be laid around the broken part and bound snugly with 
narrow tape. One author recommends dipping the limb 
into a fresh solution of starch to which a little powdered 
alum has been added. If it is the foot, it has also been 
recommended that a smalt stick be bound to the foot in 
such a way that it will extend one-eighth of an inch be- 
low the foot in the outer folds of the bandage. Of course 
pigeons with broken bones should be kept in a semi-dark 
pen by themselves and should be allowed about 14 days 
for the fracture to heal before cutting away the ban- 
dages. 



70 PIGEON DISEASES 

Trimming "Spouts." 

"Spouts" is the name given to a spout-shaped con- 
dition which is sometimes found in Carrier, Barbs and 
Dragoons or birds with large eye-ceres. They usually 
form below the eye, first as a small pocket into which the 
eye secretions fall and later they bear the eye-cere out- 
wards making a small spout. -As soon as observed these 
spouts should be nipped off. You must be careful and 
not take too much or they will bleed and if you do not 
take enough it will form again. Hence the first opera- 
tion should be performed by one with experience and the 
novice can watch closely and study how. 

In an English work on Carriers, I find the following: 
"It is the heavy, fleshy eye that is the obomination, and 
that gives the greatest trouble in this direction, for if 
such as these are neglected other troubles to the eye will 
set in. A cluster of these nodules will form inside the 
lash in the vicinity of the spout, which must greatly ir- 
ritate the eye-ball, so much so that the whole eye becomes 
an outlet for a constant discharge of the most offensive 
humors, the bird being found every morning with both 
e) 7 es glued up, which you have to open before it can see 
to feed, and if a bird in such a state is allowed to mix 
with others they are liable to get infected in the same 
way. Such birds are a terrible nuisance, and should be 
avoided if possible .and they give more trouble in winter 
than in summer time. Some fanciers advise these grapes 
as they are called, to be stripped and skinned clean out ; 
but the operation destroys the mucous membrane and 
canker is almost sure to set in, and then it is "best to 
slay." The best plan to relieve the eye is just to nip off 
the heads of these nodules when they will discharge 
themselves and shrivel up. This generally entails a great 
loss of blood, but a little Friar's Balsam will usually stop 
the bleeding. There is nearly always a large spout to be 
cut away at the same time, and I often think unless the 
bird is of some great value as a stock bird it is far prefer- 
able to put it out of its misery. In cutting an ordinary 
spout, I very seldom do anything more than remove the 
spout, letting it heal under its own blood." 



SURGERY 71 

Broken Flights. 

Lt.-Col. J. Long, who, by the way, is also a physician, 
gave the following method of mending a broken flight or 
treating a twisted tail feather, in Pigeons & Pigeon Fly- 
. ing, June, 1915 : 

"The way to treat a twisted flight tail feather is to 
prepare a kettle of boiling water. Then bring the bird to 
the kettle which should be kept over the fire so it will be 
hot. Straighten out the feather and holding it in its 
proper place, hold the bird over the steam for a minute 
or two, then place the bird carefully back in the loft. 
This operation may have to be repeated more than once, 
for, if neglected, the flight will eventually be broken. 

"To mend a broken flight, or tail feather, great care 
will have to be taken. The broken flight, if one of the new 
ones, -or a flight that is not likely to be dropped until 
after the races, will have to be mended to give the 
bird a racing chance. Proceed as follows : First, se- 
cure a small bottle of fish glue or glass cement, 
a small clean table, a pair of scissors, a 
dropped flight of same color, if possible, from 
some other bird, but the color does not matter. Have 
an assistant hold the bird with wing outstretched, then cut 
through the calamus, or shaft as straight as possible, 
leaving a bevelled edge to the shaft. Also then cut the 
dropped feather so it will exactly correspond and match 
the end of the feather on the bird. Next take a piece of 
a broken needle and holding it in a pair of pliers, make 
a hole in the end of the feather about half the length of 
the needle. Next make a corresponding hole in the piece 
of feather to be joined and gently fit the two together. 
When this is done the joint should match perfectly. 
Next separate the parts again and smear the needle 
half way with cement and place it in the end of the 
wing feather. Care should be taken so that not too 
much cement is used or it will get onto the webbing 
of the feather and cause trouble. When the cement 
is dry, which will be in a few minutes, place a little 



72 



PIGEON DISEASES 



cement on the remaining part of the needle and again 
join to it the piece of flight already prepared. In a 
few minutes the cement will have hardened and then 
leave it alone. Don't try to see how strong it is or 
you will cause trouble. If you have done the job 
well, all will be right and the bird will be able to win a 
race." 




A PAIR OF TURB1TS ILLUSTRATING DIFFERENCE IN SIZE 
BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE. 



CHAPTER XI. 
Special Information. 

Determining the Sex. 

It is difficult to explain to the novice how to de- 
termine the sex of pigeons and occasionally it is very 
difficult for the old-timer to pick the male from the 
female, especially during the winter months. But, 
generally speaking, pigeons are slightly different in 
size, the females always being smaller. 

To do this correctly it is necessary to permit them 
to fly about with other birds the sex of which i c 
known. If it is a female, other males will fly to it and 
"coo" around it. If it is a male the other males will 
fly at it and drive it away. 

It is also said that a female in "cooingf" will never 
turn or twist its body in a circle, while a male always 
does this. 

Other ^methods are sometimes used by fanciers, such 
as holding the bird between the palms of the hands, 
and swing it in the air. If it holds its tail down, it is 
said to be a cock, and if it raises it, it is said to be a 
hen. But this is not an infallible test. Watching the 
pigeons perform in a flying pen is the safest and 
surest. 

Washing Pigeons. 

Fanciers who live in communities where soft or 
bituminous coal is used, will be compelled to wash 
their birds before they will be in the best condition 
for showing. This is not considered "faking" by 
pigeon judges as it is simply doing what the bird 
would do itself if it had a chance and the weather was 
right. 

To many the washing of a pigeon may seem a diffi- 
cult task, but it is comparatively easy and should take 
only a few minutes after you have everything ready. 



74 PIGEON DISEASES 

What is needed? First you need a place to warm, 
or dry the birds after washing and this will have to 
be fixed before you. begin to wash. A good method 
for city fanciers would be to place a clean box on a 
chair alongside a steam radiator that was good and 
hot. Or, if there is hot air heat, a box placed so the 
hot air would strike the interior would be an excellent 
plan. For people in the country who have stove heat, 
a box placed alongside a good hot fire will answer the 
purpose. 

This box need not be too large as the wet bird will 
not flutter much and cannot fly until it gets partly 
dried. Then it would be well if you had a muslin or 
sheeting curtain that was fixed so as to hang over 
the front of the box, or between the bird and the 
source of heat. 

Next, you will need three basins with water suffi- 
cient to fully immerse the bird. I have found a dish- 
pan to be useful for this purpose. You will also need 
two rinsing waters, and for them I generally use a 
common pail with enough water in it to completely 
cover the bird. 

The first water should be so hot you can just put 
your hand in it. You will also need some good soap, 
such as Castile, Ivory or Wool, and a nail brush and 
towel. In the second and third vessels, put luke warm 
water sufficient to cover the bird. The second water 
is to rinse off the soapy water, and the third water is 
to complete the rinsing. For white birds, it is some- 
times beneficial to add a little blueing: to the third 
water. But do not put in too much, or you will have 
blue birds instead of white ones. 

Pigeons should be washed several days before show- 
ing, and the way to proceed is as follows : Dissolve 
<>ome borax in the water to soften it, then with your 
I lands and soap make the water soapy. Next im- 
•nerse the pigeon until it is good and wet all over. 
Of course, keep its mouth and nose out of the water. 
After the feathers are wet, you can scrub them pretty 
hard with the nail brush without doing: them any 



SPECIAL INFORMATION 75 

harm. For this purpose you can lift the bird out of 
the water and scrub the wings and feathers until they 
are clean. You will soon see them getting whiter. 
After you have the flights, tail and body feathers 
clean, you should wash the head feathers. For this 
purpose a sponge is very good, and try to prevent the 
soapy water from getting in the pigeon's eye. When 
you are sure that the bird is clean, you can next put 
it in the second water to rinse off the soap. After the 
soapsuds are pretty well off, you can then put the 
bird in the third water for a final rinsing. Then it 
should be dried off with a clean towel bv rubbing the 
feathers along the way of the web, and put in the 
drying box. When the feathers begin to dry the bird 
will preen itself and straighten them out. By wash- 
ing several days before the show, you can tell if you 
have done a good job, and if not you can try it over 
again. Of course, after washing the bird, you must 
be careful and keep it in a clean coop or it will get 
dirty again. If you get too much blueing in the water 
you can wash the bird again and it will look all the 
better for it. 

Many fanciers do not wash their colored birds, but 
they would certainly look better for it. 

Mating Pigeons. 

Pigeons always breed in pairs and, unless some 
accident occurs, a pair of pigeons allowed to remain 
together will remain true to each other in a loft with 
many others. 

Should you have two pigeons, male and female, that 
vou desire to mate, the way to proceed is as follows : 
You should have a coop about 18 inches by 24 inches 
and 18 inches high, with a wire division between. If 
this coop is placed away from other birds, all the 
beter. Into one side of this coop, place the male and 
into the other place the felmale. They may not pay 
much attention to each other, especially so, if they 
have recently had other mates. But in spring or early 
summer, they will usually notice each other in a short 



76 PIGEON DISEASES 

while, and this is shown by the male cooing and show- 
ing off in front of the female. After a day or so she 
also will parade in front of the male, and then you 
can remove the wire partition. When this is done, 
the male may attack the female with its bill and she 
may strive to get away from him at first, but later, 
they will make up and put their bills together like 
when a pigeon feeds its young. This is called "bill- 
ing," and when they do this normally, they are said 
to be mated and can be removed to the nesting place 
in the loft where you expect them to breed. 

They should be confined in such a place until the 
female lays its two eggs, which will be about nine 
days after the "billing" date. After they have laid, 
they can be liberated and allowed to fly with the rest 
of the birds. 

Pigeon fanciers usually remove the first egg laid 
and in its place put a dummy.. For dummy eggs, 
some use artificial ones; others use old or stray eggs 
they may have handy, while still others use eggs 
made from plaster of Paris by blowing out the con- 
tents of a worthless egg and filling it with the plaster 
of Paris. The second egg is usually laid the second 
day, and then, of course, the first egg is replaced. By 
this method, both young should hatch within an hour 
or so fo each other and they will thrive more equally. 

Pigeon eggs hatch in 17 days. Sometimes they go 
18 days, bwt if they are not hatched in that time, they 
are not much good. 

Pigeon eggs are sometimes removed from a certain 
pair and placed under another pair. Care must be 
taken, in doing this, to be sure the new pair laid the 
same day or not more than two days off. The reason 
for care in this respect is that, when the young 
pigeons come, they must be fed first upon a milk 
which is secreted by the parent birds, and in nature 
this will come at the right hatching date. If, by 
changing the eggs, the hatching date is delayed, this 



SPECIAL INFORMATION 77 

"pigeon milk" will come too soon and cause trouble 
with the old birds. 

The old pigeons will feed their young in the nest 
for about four weeks, and then the young will want 
to get out and after that date will be found out of the 
nest and upon the floor. When they get out of the 
nest they will soon begin to eat grains from the floor, 
but still they will beg food from the old birds until 
they are nearly six weeks old, and even longer, if the 
old pair do not go to nest again. Usually the old pair 
will start to make a new nest about two weeks after 
hatching date. 

The male and female both take turns in incubating 
the eggs. The female will remain on the nest all 
night until about 9 o'clock each morning and the male 
will then take his turn until about 3 in the afternoon, 
when the female will return to the nest for the night. 
Both birds also feed the young, but the female will 
not continue this very long, if they start to make a 
second nest. 

Pigeons always lay two eggs. If more are found, 
there is something wrong. Two hens have been 
known to mate and lay four eggs, which, of course, 
were infertile and did not hatch. Pigeons that are 
good breeders, will take care of more than two young, 
and it would be possible to give such a pair four eggs 
to hatch. But this would be rather trying on the old 
birds, to raise four young, and it is not to be recom- 
mended. 

Some squab breeders have tried using a male on 
two females, with fair results. The way they did 
was to have two pens and put the male with one hen 
until the eggs were laid and then remove the eggs to 
another pair, and put the male with the other hen 
until she laid, when the process was repeated. While 
this might work all right for a acouple of sets of eggs, 
I cannot recommend it as a good rule for continuous 
practice. 

When at liberty, pigeons will build their own nest 



78 PIGEON DISEASES 

by carrying to it stray, sticks and leaves. In aviaries, 
you must furnish something for this purpose and the 
best thing is tobacco stems, as the odor tends to keep 
away pigeon lice and the pigeons do not seem to mind 
the odor. When they are dry, they will absorb con- 
siderable moisture. Fanciers generally use earthen- 
ware nest bowls and put some sawdust or sand in the 
bottom of it for the birds to build their nest in. 



(The End.) 




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